King of Fighters: Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite
by jojoDO
Summary: Strap yourselves in for the wildest competition of your life! 80 SNK fighters from numerous titles gather to compete for the ultimate glory. Who will be the last one standing? This ultimate contest of fighting prowess will blow you away! Join the fun, and root for your favorite fighter!
1. Chapter 1: A Call to Battle

They all knew why they were here.

From all corners, they came. They came in all shapes and sizes, affiliations and allegiances, styles and heart. Hundreds and hundreds of warriors, all versed in diverse and extraordinary styles of combat, all here for one purpose: to answer the call. They seemed endless; from the main square of Southtown, to the malls, to the restaurants, to anywhere that a television monitor resided. Not a single one of them would dare miss out on this one golden opportunity... for it would be the greatest of their lives.

For a moment, the whole world seemed to fall silent as each fighter eagerly awaited the nation-wide broadcast... a single message, to any and all practitioners of martial arts out there willing to step up and prove to the universe that they reign supreme.

 **MILAN, ITALY**

From a television station 5000 miles away, a dark haired woman was applying a few last facial touches. A little eyeliner here, a fresh coat of ruby lipstick... not a single strand of hair could be out of place for this important broadcast. Was she nervous? Perhaps a little, given her intended audience being no doubt the most glorious collection of warriors gathered that the world has ever known. She had to nail this on the first try, and it had to be perfect. There was no going back after this.

"We're on in 5, Ms. Kagura." a crew member generously announced as he poked his head in her dressing room.

"Thank you." was her simple response, followed by a polite bow.

The woman took one last look in the mirror as she ran her hand through her long black mane. She adjusted her white hairband one last time; was it an inch out of place? Maybe she's just imagining things... before she knew it, 4 minutes had blown by.

"We need you out here now, Ms. Kagura! We're on in T minus one minute!"

A deep nasal breath, followed by an exhale from her mouth. She looked into the mirror: it was time.

Emerging from the dressing room, her black high-heeled pumps clacked on the solid floor as her elegant white shirt flowed with each step. She gave a tiny, nervous swallow as she stood in front of the camera crew, looking over at the teleprompter to make sure she had every word of the speech she wrote memorized. This was it; time to deliver the message that the world has long awaited.

"Okay, quiet on set please! We're on in 10...9...8..."

She cleared her throat one time, taking one last deep breath to calm her nerves.

"5...4...3...2..."

The cameraman thrust his finger and the station started rolling.

"Attention! Fighters from Southtown, and the rest of the globe! Please, lend an ear to this important broadcast!" the woman's voice resonated clearly and with authority.

"I ask you now... why do we fight? There are many reasons, light and dark, but above all, there is one that binds us all together... because fighting is our religion. Fighting is how we communicate, how we express ourselves, how we forge bonds, how we strive to achieve greatness... for people like you and I, combat is what we live for. It's our purpose, to choose this life of strength, spirit, pain, will, and physical prowess, to compete with one another and test our limits, to see how far we can go and what we can strive to improve."

She swung her arm dramatically. "I bring you this message today to offer you all this chance! The chance to bring us all together; all the strongest fighters under the same banner, in the spirit of friendly competition. I give you the chance today to once again prove yourselves, to face the most daunting odds in your quest of achieving glory and the coveted title of 'King of Fighters'. My goal for this competition is to bring together all the greatest fighting styles of the world, for one grand competition that will crown only 1 winner above all."

Stepping a bit closer, she pointed directly at the camera as if to address the people face-to-face.

"This will no doubt be the biggest test of your lives. Now I ask you... who will step up, and join me here in Milan, Italy to enter what will be recorded in the annals of history as the most prestigious and legendary martial arts tournament ever assembled? I extend this invitation to all who believe in their fists, and even those who don't fight but share the same passion for blood sport as your fellow man. Whether it's to fight or simply to watch it live, I invite you all to come here to the beautiful city and take part in what will be a grand celebration of martial arts and true fighting spirit."

As she spoke these words, it was hard to stifle the smile on her lips. It was a powerful moment, sending this message... Chizuru Kagura felt truly honored to be not only a part of this... but to actually play a part in its fruition.

"To those of you bold enough to enter this tournament, only the first 80 to arrive will be eligible to compete. So FIGHTERS! I give you one final message! If you truly believe in your fighting spirit, then you have nothing to fear! Steel yourselves, harden your resolve! Step forth, and claim immortality! I offer it to you now... all you need do is come and FIGHT FOR IT! All the glory, honor, and respect is yours for the taking! COME... AND BE A PART OF KING OF FIGHTERS: ULTIMATE GRAND DREAM KUMITE!"

"...And cut! Okay, we are clear! Excellent work, Ms. Kagura!" the director exclaimed with a smile.

The set began to break out in a flurry of cheers and applause. Chizuru herself couldn't help but beam with pride, as the huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. She felt like collapsing to the floor, after delivering such an impactful broadcast.

"Drink, ma'am?" one of the assistants offered her a bottle of water.

"Yes... thank you." Chizuru accepted it with a bow. She immediately unscrewed the cap and took a long gulp of the cool, clear purified water. After regaining herself, she gave a bow to the tv crew.

"That concludes our business, gentlemen. Thank you all. I take my leave now... to prepare for what's to come."

With those last words, Chizuru's face intensified as she exited the building. For only the briefest of moments did she allow herself respite; already her mind was racing, readying for the next step. Pretty soon they would arrive; all the strongest warriors of the world, gathering to claim it all in this ultimate contest of might.

"The wheels are in motion..." Chizuru narrated to herself. "Now we wait. Come forth, fighters... come and unleash your fury. Show me the extent of your warrior souls."

 **I mean this with no exaggeration. This WILL be the greatest congregation of SNK fighters ever gathered under one roof. 80 beloved SNK characters will be fighting in this tournament, from 90s to mid 2000s. You're gonna see old faces, newer faces, loved faces, hated faces... even the faces of some people you probably forgot existed. There will also be plenty of other appearances as well, from those not in the competition. There's not JUST 80 characters in my fic.**

 **Now, I don't want a bunch of PMs or comments requesting characters because I already have all 80 of them. And furthermore, I'm sure there's going to be some displeased folks when I leave out their particular favorite, but I'm sorry. So go ahead and send me reviews saying "f*** you for leaving out Rock Howard" but that's just the way it's gonna be. It's my fic, and I'm picking the 80 contestants : )**

 **So, without further ado, let's get this party started! Up next: the fighters arrive in Italy!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Fighters Arrive

**MILAN, ITALY**

The main square was already bustling, before any contestants had even arrived. Parked cars littered the streets for miles, waves and waves of people local and foreign were gathered around eagerly awaiting the arrival of those brave enough to step up and enter this contest.

Chizuru barely had enough energy to raise her hand to wipe her sweaty forehead. It was exhausting work, being all over the place trying to entertain the restless masses. Right now it was a bunch of rambling; one long repetitive note throughout the city resemblant of a swarm of buzzing bees.

The people were hungry; hungry to see their heroes.

Suddenly, a massive increase in volume spiked from the crowd. Chizuru looked out into the distance; it would appear someone had arrived.

The screams of the rabid fans carried on, especially the ladies, as they welcomed none other than their native son, Robert Garcia. The suave Kyoguken practitioner and best friend of Ryo Sakazaki came strutting through the street with a rose in his mouth, grinning charmingly and waving to the masses. As soon as he approached the staging area, he removed the rose and tossed it to the esteemed females that worshipped his good looks and talent.

"Robert Garcia! Welcome!" Chizuru greeted with a bow. "How fitting that you should be the first one to arrive."

"It's good to be home!" Robert beamed, flashing his pearly whites with his hands in his pockets. His teeth seemed to twinkle from their perfect whiteness.

"Here, hold onto this." Chizuru commanded, handing Robert a small laminated card. The card read:

 **"Official Tournament Entrant #1"**

"Make sure you don't lose that. It's your ticket into the contest. If it ends up in someone else's hands... you'll have given them the keys to the candy store." Chizuru stated.

"I got it, I got it." Robert chuckled as he pocketed his entry card. "So, you been waiting a while?"

"I woke up pretty early... whew... I thought I missed hosting King of Fighters..." Chizuru chuckled.

"Heh, well I'd rather you be the host than a certain someone I know." Robert joked.

Chizuru nervously laughed. "Oh, uh.. f-funny you should mention that..."

But before Chizuru could finish her explanation, the crowd erupted into cheers once again. It seems another had arrived.

There he approached, in the distance... a true King of Fighters champion. Everyone recognized that classic white headband, worn by a man who dominated the tournament for several years with his iconic Japan Team. Yes... what King of Fighters tournament would be complete without the main man, the bearer of flame himself?

"KYO KUSANAGI, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND IN THE FLESH!" Chizuru boomed to the crowd, who was going nuts from hysteria at this point.

Kyo approached Robert and the two shared an uber-cool high five.

"You're lookin good, Garcia." Kyo grinned.

"I see you dusted off the old headband." Robert fired back.

"I couldn't leave it behind... not for this."

Chizuru approached Kyo and, with a polite bow, gave him a card. Kyo Kusanagi was officially the second man in the King of Fighters Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite.

"Quite a turnout for this event." Kyo stated, striking up some conversation with his old opponent.

"Yeah... they're here for us, my man. We're legends. We never get old." Robert grinned.

"Speaking of legends... is that...?"

"Yep. I'd recognize that cap anywhere."

Terry Bogard was the next to arrive, sporting his classic red cap on his head. Just the sight of that cap drove everyone into a frenzy. Terry Bogard was highly, HIGHLY respected... in fact, some would even call him the true pioneer.

"Bogard! Glad you could make it." Kyo greeted, extending his hand for a fist bump.

"Just like old times, eh?" Terry tilted his cap in greeting and returned the fist bump.

"Heh, you would know all about old times." Robert teased.

"Look who's talking!"

The three all took friendly shots at each other, all in good nature. The truth was, they all realized their place in this. They were the OGs; the ones who wrote the first chapters of the long, long book. Kyo Kusanagi, Robert Garcia, Terry Bogard... these names were never to be forgotten, for they were the ones who started it all.

"Hey, where's your brother? Is he joining?" Kyo asked.

"Yeah... he just got held up."

"...Mai?"

"You wonder why I got here faster? It's because he can't walk two steps without her hanging on his arm."

"Speaking of holdups, where the hell is Ryo and..." Robert muttered.

"Hey, there they all are. I guess they found each other." Kyo pointed in the distance.

Finally it was the men's turn to whoop as two of the most iconic babes came strolling into the picture. Andy Bogard was practically being dragged by the legend herself, the wet dream of billions and billions of souls unfortunate to never be able to claim her... the one and only, Mai Shiranui.

And to their left, the main man of Kyoguken himself, Ryo Sakazaki and his younger sister Yuri. While not QUITE as highly regarded as Mai in the looks department, Yuri was still every man's crush. Her adorable demeanor and spunky personality had captured the heart of millions: notably one Robert Garcia.

As they approached the rest of the contestants, Mai and Yuri had no qualms about seducing the crowd with their charm and beauty. Yuri gave a cute little wink and and pretended to aim her fingers like cowboy six shooters, while Mai struck a sexy pose that exhibited her all-too-familiar T & A to the hot blooded males out there.

"Thought you guys might have changed your mind." Robert greeted, giving his best friend a handshake and pulling him in for a hug.

"No way am I missing out on this." Andy exclaimed, throwing his arm around his brother's shoulder and pulling him close. The brothers waved to the crowd with a smile, as did the Kyoguken Duo.

"CHIZURU! HEYYYYYYY!" Mai squealed as she sprinted towards her former teammate, breasts flailing wildly and popping out with each step. But Chizuru didn't seem to care; the woman was incredibly happy to be reunited with her dear friend from the Female Team.

"Mai! It's so good to see you again!" Chizuru exclaimed as the two collided with a warm embrace.

"I hope you weren't planning on doing this tournament without me!" Mai joked.

"Mai sweetie, if you didn't show up, I swear I would cancel it." Chizuru laughed.

Yuri was still hamming it up for the crowd. With a cute little wink she showed off her "guns", did bunny ears, even did the airplane. But finally, once she spotted Robert, her mind focused on him.

"Robbie~" Yuri cooed. "Are you behaving~?"

"Don't embarrass me in front of my people, Yuri. Cmon..." Robert chuckled, scratching his head.

"Come over here and kiss me~"

"R-right here?"

"Cmon, the crowd'll love it!"

"O-okay..."

He was a little nervous, but the powerful energy of the moment filled Robert with confidence. Closing distance on Yuri, he scooped her up in his arms and their lips met, causing the crowd to erupt with a massive burst of cheers. The two lovers held that kiss for a good 10 seconds to appease the crowd before finally breaking it. Robert held Yuri up high on his shoulder, showing her off like she was his trophy. The crowd drank it up, suckers for such an adorable romance.

"Okay, so who else is- agh! Ah! M-mai! L-let go of meee..." Andy couldn't even finish his question before being assaulted by his enthusiastic girlfriend.

"Don't stray too far from me, Andy! I need to you protect me from the creeps~" Mai rubbed her face affectionately against Andy's large bicep.

"Mai, you're the last girl on the planet that needs protecting." Ryo scoffed.

"Yo Kyo, are your old buddies joining?" Terry asked.

"You mean Benimaru and Daimon? Hmmm... well Benimaru is for sure, but Goro has a wife and son and all..."

As time passed in the day, more and more fighters poured in. 10, 20, 30... the roster was piling up quite quickly. Kyo, Terry, Ryo, and the rest of the gang were shocked to see some of the faces showing up. With each new arrival, the point was driven clearer and clearer that this was truly the most extraordinary gathering of fighters ever to be initiated in history. Old faces, forgotten faces... nostalgic faces.

"Man, things are really cranking up here!" Benimaru, who had finally arrived earlier, declared. "Hey look over there! It's the USA Team!"

Benimaru poked Kyo to get his attention as they looked over there at three rather odd participants in King of Fighters's history: the one-time USA Team consisting of Brian Battler, Heavy D and Lucky Glauber. It seems that finally, they would once again have a chance at redemption.

"Yeah, I see em. Oh, there's the China Team."

Kyo pointed over to the well-known veterans: the ever-popular Athena Asamiya, and her hopeless lovestruck partner Sie Kensou. Their master Chin Gentsai was also present, though he didn't follow them to go get an entry card.

"Whoa... look at some of these weirdos!" Robert gasped, nudging Ryo and Yuri.

The three of them looked out in the distance and saw some... rather goofy-looking characters. Among them were a pirate, a football player, a Nazi... even a crazy witch doctor with a huge mask.

"Man... those guys don't even look like they're from our century." Kyo said, scratching his head.

"Heeeeeey I recognize those cool dudes!" Robert called out to the two approaching figures.

Sure enough, the King of Fighters tournament was about to get 100 times cooler when the signature bad boy came strutting in with his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. His dark sunglasses hid his expression from the world, and his all-black uniform only further emphasized his demeanor that frustrated men and wooed the ladies.

Accompanying him from behind was a familiar face as well... the man who stood by his side always, even in the heaviest bullets. A huge, hulking man with bionic implants in both arms, it was unclear just how much of Maxima was man and what was machine. But one thing was certain: he was forever loyal to his comrade, K' Dash.

"I was wondering if you two would make it." Benimaru grinned, extending his hand for a high five.

Of course, K' didn't return the favor. "Guh... well it wasn't my idea. Chizuru bugged me and bugged me and BUGGED ME until I finally decided to join. So thank her."

As K' walked by Kyo, the two suddenly stopped in their tracks. Kyo looked directly into his sunglasses; he couldn't see his eyes, but he knew K' was sizing him up right then and there. An intense staredown was underway, neither one backing down out of risk of showing weakness. Everyone around them grew tense; were they about to throw down right here?!

Luckily, Benimaru got in between them. "Let's save that for the tourney, eh? Oh hey Maxima, didn't see you there. Psych! Haha!"

Maxima said nothing, just gave a friendly nod to them.

"So where's the little cutie?" Yuri asked, nudging K' repeatedly. But he just swatted her hand away.

"How the hell should I know? She's not my responsibility." he rudely replied.

"K', be nice!" a female voice called out from the distance.

The dreary kid turned around and spotted none other than a special someone to him, clad in a military uniform, her trusty whip at her side.

"Seirah..." K' muttered.

"Hey guys! How's it hangin?" the woman known as Whip happily greeted.

"Hey. Where's the rest of your squad?" Benimaru asked.

"Ah, they're going to get their entry cards. What an exciting tournament this is gonna be, eh?"

"Seirah... you should go home..." K' pouted.

"Tch, and miss out on this? Cmon, don't be such a sourpuss." Whip playfully shoved him. K' just looked away from her with a grunt as he rubbed his shoulder.

The Ikari warrior looked around a few times. "...Kula not with you?"

"Why do people keep asking me about Kula, dammit!" K' growled. "I'm not her damn brother or... anything else! Sheesh!"

Whip turned her nose up at her rude younger brother. "Hmph. You know what, I don't even need your help finding Kula. There she comes right now!"

"Wh-wha...?"

"HEY KULA! OVER HERE!"

"Shit..."

Sure enough, the adorable ice user herself had finally arrived on the scene. She was sporting strawberry blonde hair, since her powers weren't in use. And of course, accompanying her as always, was her beloved gal pal posse: Diana, Foxy, and Candy Diamond.

"Seirah! Nice to see you!" Kula greeted Whip with a hug.

"Hey, girl!" Whip replied. "Wow, I see you finally repaired Candy. She looks great!"

Kula broke the hug and approached her robot partner. "Yep! Diana and Foxy helped me. We rebuilt her with an indestructible titanium exterior. I'm never going to lose my Candy again~"

Kula affectionately hugged her android as she said those words, Candy returning the gesture.

"...How's K'?" Diana asked.

"He's... in a bad mood." Whip giggled.

"Surprise, surprise." Foxy chimed in.

"C-can I go say hi to him?" Kula eagerly asked her two older partners.

"Hm... just don't be too talkative. He doesn't like that." Diana commanded.

"Kay~!"

As Kula ran off to go pester K', Whip turned to the three of them. "So... are you three entering too?"

Foxy shook her head. "No, no. We're only here for Kula. She's the one who's entering."

"I see... well, it's gonna be a tough one." Whip said with a concerned face. "You think she's up to the task?"

"Kula is a strong girl. If she has her heart set on it, then there's no reason for us to not support her." Diana replied.

"You're right, you're right. I just hope... I won't have to fight her..."

Meanwhile, Ryo and Robert and the gang were still sitting around, chatting and pointing out all the strange faces.

"Hey, look over there. Is that Kim?" Ryo pointed out.

"Yeah, that's him alright." Terry acknowledged. "HEY KIM! OVER HERE!"

Kim Kaphwan turned very slightly and gave Terry a tiny little nod before returning to his own little world. At his side were his two reformed Korean ex-con partners, Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge. The girl known as May Lee could also be seen hanging around. It could only be assumed that they intended to enter as well.

"Sheesh, guy needs to lighten up." Terry shrugged.

"OH... SHIT... Ryo." Robert slapped his partner's shoulder to get his attention.

"What, what?"

"Mr. Big spotted."

"Wha... aw shit. Not Big and his old flunkies. Damn!"

As displeased as Ryo and Robert were at seeing Mr. Big's bald, mustached, smirking face once again, the crowd couldn't have been more delighted at his face as well as the other faces that appeared.

"WHOOA look over there!"

"Hey, those guys were from the very first King of Fighters tournament ever!"

"Dang, talk about OG! Those guys are living fossils!"

Yes, in this great and powerful tournament... even the original King of Fighters contestants couldn't stay away. Long ago, when Geese Howard had a long luxurious mane and was the police commissioner... he ran the very first King of Fighters tournament. 12 fighters entered, among those the lovable Sakazakis and Robert Garcia. King and Eiji Kisaragi were also entrants.

And these guys... these were the forgotten ones. The ones buried in the sands of history, thought to never be unearthed again. But here they were. They were standing before the crowd once again, preparing to dust off their old bones and once more challenge for the ultimate glory. Seeing them again after all this time was an overwhelming, unbelievable feeling.

"What a nostalgia trip seeing those old guys again, eh Ryo?" Robert nudged. But Ryo was distracted by something; his eyes were hard at work, scanning for someone near and dear to him.

"But where is... she...?"

"OLD DUDES INCOMING!"

A wave of applause broke out as some seemingly golden oldies had just arrived on the scene.

"Huh? Who could they be talking about...?" Yuri inquired, scratching her head.

"Hm, well it couldn't be pops." Ryo replied. We left him back in... Japan...?"

"EEEEEK!"

Yuri squealed when she came face-to-face with a very familiar red Tengu mask with white hair attached. Ryo saw it too and facepalmed, knowing instantly who it was.

"P-papa?!"

"Dad, what are you doing here?! I thought you wanted to stay behind and watch the dojo."

"DON'T PATRONIZE YOUR OLD MAN!" Takuma Sakazaki barked, his voice making them quake with fear. "Did you seriously think that I, the original Mr. Karate, would even DREAM of missing out on the greatest tournament the world has ever seen?"

"F-father... you're a little old for this, don'tcha think? You're gonna get hurt." Yuri replied with a concerned tone.

"NONSENSE!" Takuma bellowed. "You heard the lady! Any and all fighters are allowed to join! This is Takuma Sakazaki's final shot at glory, don't you understand? Age doesn't matter in this competition. All that matters is my fighting spirit! HWOOOOOOAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Master T-Tung!"

"M-Master Jubei!"

"You guys are entering too?!" Terry and Andy exclaimed in unison.

"Yo!" Jubei grinned, flashing a peace sign. "Cmon now, this old man belongs on the scene! Especially with Miss Shiranui around, hohoho~"

"Master... are you just joining this contest to meet girls?" Andy facepalmed.

"Master Tung, I have a great amount of respect for you, but... I fear for your health." Terry bowed. "Are you sure your body will hold up? This contest will be brutal."

"Hee hee hee hee... you underestimate me, my old friend." Tung fu Rue chuckled. "Just be wary, young man... not ALL of my teachings were passed down to your father."

Upon hearing those words, Terry tilted his cap and smiled. "Very well then, Master. I look forward to seeing you perform."

"...I'm fighting too." a stoic, composed voice announced.

The Ikari Warriors all turned to face their towering commanding officer, Heidern, who had just made that announcement with a stone face.

"Fath... s-sir..." Leona Heidern stammered. "A-are you sure?"

"Yes." Heidern stated with a firm nod. "Between the five of us, we'll have a great chance of winning. And... I wish to refresh myself. My skills have gotten rusty."

"Eh? But sir, you don't belong on the frontlines!" the ever-outspoken Ralf Jones blurted.

"Let us handle it, sir. Our next report to you will be of victory!" Whip seconded.

"Your concern for my well-being is acknowledged, and unnecessary." Heidern fired back, his hands behind his back as he stood firm. "I refuse to sit this competition out! You will all fight to the fullest of your ability despite the circumstances, and, in the event that we meet in combat, you are not to hold back. Am I clear?"

"YES SIR!" the Ikari Warriors all saluted.

"Okay then. As you were."

The Ikari Warriors all broke up and walked away, Ralf and Clark going to look around and Whip returning to Kula and the gang. Leona was the only one who remained where she stood; above all others this news was most troubling to her... for Heidern was more to her than just a commanding officer. Of all the lack of emotions in her cold, hardened heart, the warmth she did feel shone only for her beloved comrades, and most of all... for the man she calls father.

Meanwhile, the staging area was starting to get a little packed with all the contestants. The open roster spots were dwindling rapidly; pretty soon, it would be a race to be the 80th and final contender.

"So who's left that hasn't arrived?" Terry asked.

Kyo put a hand to his chin. "Hmm... well you guys are still waiting on Joe, right? And I'm not so sure Goro Daimon won't show up.

"Hm... it's gonna be interesting to see who shows up for the final spots." Ryo chimed in.

In the midst of their little exchange, the crowd suddenly broke out in a very tense "OOOOOOOH..." as if some ominous figure had just arrived.

"Eh? The hell are they on about?" Robert asked.

"...I think that." Terry pointed.

"Oh... damn."

The crowd was pushed aside as the tall, huge, imposing figure approached the staging area. All around him, murmurs and whispers were exchanged.

"Holy shit, Krauser himself..."

"Damn... this tournament is in the bag."

His purple hair swayed behind him as he poked a hand out from his red cape to stroke his equally purple mustache. With an arrogant "hmph!" he flicked his cape flamboyantly as if all those around him were none his equal.

When he approached the staging area, he walked right up to Chizuru and held out his hand, demanding an entry card.

"I believe you have one of those for me, and my colleague." he sneered.

Standing right at his side, the faithful servant of the Krauser family, was his most trusted man: a famous matador from Spain, deadly with a sword. His brown bearded face had an arrogant, entitled grin on it, as he lived vicariously through the natural superiority and assertiveness commanded by his master.

"One for Wolfgang Krauser, and... one for Mr. Blood." Chizuru handed out two cards and bowed.

"Hmph." was Krauser's only response as he flicked his cape, giving Chizuru a faceful of it as he turned to walk away. Lawrence Blood followed closely behind, trying to look just as intimidating.

"That guy... is an asshole." K' bluntly broke the silence.

After that ordeal was over, a few more friendly faces showed up here and there. Notably... two very special Japanese agents.

"Whooooooa are those two who I think they are?!" Mai excitedly hopped up and down.

"What, who do you see?" Ryo inquired.

"Look, over there!"

"Uhh.. those two?"

"Hey, those two are entering? Awesome!" Kyo exclaimed.

"...I'm lost." Ryo muttered.

"You seriously don't remember them? They're totally fab secret agents!" Mai replied, smacking Ryo on the back to possibly smack the sense back into him.

"Yuki! Ai! Over here, you guys!" Terry waved.

Indeed, it was the dynamic duo: a pair of tech-savvy agents who once saved the world from total destruction by a corporation called WAREZ. On the left: a tall, handsome, blonde-haired young man with a red and white jumpsuit. His wrist was tricked out with a special watch, capable of granting him immense power.

On the right, his incredibly attractive partner with brown hair in adorable pigtails, and a white and blue cap on her head. Her white and blue costume consisted of a cute little miniskirt that rested just below her thighs, and a pair of white boots. The hardware hanging around her neck appeared to be some kind of game device... but only she and Yuki were aware of the true powers that lie within it.

"Hey guys! Long time no see!" Yuki flashed a smile and gave a fist bump to his old acquaintances.

"How you guys holding up? Terry asked. "Save the world lately?"

"Don't worry, the world's been pretty peaceful since we toppled WAREZ. Tee hee~" Ai giggled.

"It's a pleasure to have you guys in the tournament with us. I hope I get the chance to test out your potential." Kyo grinned.

"Heh, likewise." Yuki replied with a pat on his shoulder.

"Okay, now you guys clam up! I'm very close to beating Stage 10!" Ai squealed.

Much to their confusion (and Yuki's embarassment), Ai suddenly powered on her game device and started playing it right in front of them. Just like that, the girl seemed to be shut out from the rest of the world, and everything going on around her.

"What the... that girl is a hardcore gamer." Benimaru chuckled.

"Oh you don't even know, my man." Yuki facepalmed.

A moment of silence was shared between them all before Ryo suddenly came out and blurted.

"Hey, I remember you guys now!"

"...Thanks for joining the rest of us. Dumbass." K' called out from a few yards away. It seemed that even the doom n' gloom guy knew who Yuki and Ai were.

It was starting to get kind of late in the evening; pretty soon, the pre-fight party and banquet would be held. The Bogards were starting to get a little worried, as some of their colleagues had yet to show up. Kyo was also concerned, as well as Ryo...

Suddenly, Terry felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck. The next thing he felt were two very big, round orbs press against his back.

"Hey, handsome~" a familiar voice caressed his ears; as soon as Terry heard it, he breathed a MASSIVE sigh of relief.

"Jesus, Mary. What took you so long?"

"My hawg was acting up, so I hitched a ride with Vanessa."

"Well, Vanessa sure took her sweet time."

"Aw, give her a break? At least I made it in time~"

Terry turned around and met the dazzling eyes and blonde hair of Blue Mary, the girl dearest to his heart. She gave a cute little wink as she leaned in and planted a kiss on his nose.

"I was worried about you." Terry whispered softly.

"Relaaax... I'll break your limbs soon enough." Mary winked.

Terry leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, holding it for two seconds before pulling away and quickly planting another one, which resonated with a wet smooch as their lips pulled away. Mary smiled and pressed her face against his chin.

"Who we waiting on?"

"Joe, Daimon... maybe Iori. Nobody knows where he is."

"Eh, I'm sure he'll make some grand entrance. Now wait here, k? I'm gonna go make sure Vanessa, Ramon and Seth got their entry cards. Especially Ramon... that guy's hopeless."

Terry nodded and allowed Mary to walk away, feeling 100% better now that she was with him.

"HEY, TERRY!" Andy called out.

"YEAH?"

"IT'S JOE! JOE'S FINALLY HERE!"

Upon hearing that, Terry quickly sprinted over there to Andy so they could wave him down.

"JOE! HEY JOE! OVER HERE!"

After a few seconds of looking around, Joe Higashi finally spotted them and a huge smile spread on his face.

"HEEEEEEY!"

Joe sprinted over there to them and the three of them shared a group hug.

"Nice to see you guys again! The Lone Wolves are back, baby!" Joe cheered.

Kyo looked over at the reunited Terry, Andy and Joe... and he felt a tinge of sadness. He remembered when he, Benimaru and Goro shared that bond, and he found himself wishing that Daimon could be here, so the three of them, the Japan Team, could also have a joyous reunion. But still, he was nowhere to be found...

"Hey Kyoooo!" Benimaru called out.

"...Yeah?"

"Look, over there! Who's that handsome fella I see?"

As soon as Kyo looked into the distance, his face brightened. "N-NO WAY! It's...!"

Yes, he was very hard to miss. From his towering physique, to the headband bearing the Japanese rising sun, at last the person they had been waiting for came to see them.

"DAIMON!"

Benimaru and Kyo yelled in unison as they ran out to meet their old friend. As soon as Goro saw them, he laughed loudly and met them halfway. As Benimaru and Kyo tried to tackle him for a hug, Goro used his immense strength to scoop them both up in his arms and hold them up high.

"HAHAHAHA! Heeey buddy! So good to see you!" Kyo greeted.

"How's the wife and kid?" Benimaru asked.

"They were sad to see me go... but I told them I couldn't miss this opportunity. Because I knew you two would be here." Goro grinned.

"ALRIGHT! JAPAN TEAM NEVER DIE!" Benimaru yelled to the heavens as he thrust his fist in the air.

After taking a moment to catch up, the three of them discussed the present.

"So what's going on? Have all 80 of us shown yet?" Goro asked.

"It's very close, I'd say. But there's still something puzzling me..." Kyo pondered. "Where is... Yagami...?"

"I thought for sure he'd show up by now, with a dramatic callout." Benimaru added.

Little did the three of them know... Iori Yagami was already here. He had already spotted them, from afar. Though he chose not to approach Kyo at this time, already his eyes were burning with a violet flame as the desire to meet him in combat reached its apex. Yes... Iori Yagami was here. And he carried with him a burning spirit that can't be extinguished.

"Welp... if Yagami is here, then I guess we haven't seen him yet." Kyo shrugged.

"Maybe we should ask around?" Benimaru asked.

"No... look over there. All the fighters are gathering. I think it's almost time to start." Goro pointed.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's get over there!"

All of the contestants seemed to be casually flocking towards Chizuru, as most of them had surmised that all 80 had shown up. Except for Ryo... Ryo was pissing himself.

"No no no! Dammit dammit dammit, we can't start yet!" Ryo whined.

"Ryo, relax buddy."

"DON'T TELL ME TO RELAX!"

Kyo put a hand to his chin. "Hm... well it seems like everyone has shown up."

K' folded his arms. "Hmph... ya think we have enough people here?"

But the madness wasn't over yet... no, there was still one more little surprise in store for the fighters.

FWOOOOOOOOSH!

It appeared at the snap of a finger, engulfing the staging area with a ring of emerald flame. Screams rang out from the crowd, who were totally not expecting such a spontaneous combustion.

"What the hell...?" K' immediately tensed up upon witnessing this sudden attack.

"Where'd it come from?" Terry cried out. He turned around in all directions, seeing only green flame as far as the eye could carry.

"Waaaaah! It's hot!" Yuri whined.

"Andy, hold meeeeeee!" Mai cried.

"Mai, get a grip! Did you forget you have fire powers too?" Andy groaned.

"...He's here." an unfamiliar female voice stated.

"Huh?"

An assertive looking woman with blue hair stepped forward, brandishing a riding crop. Her face wasn't one of a jovial disposition; rather, it was quite stern and serious.

"Reveal yourself! I know you're there!" she barked.

"Ahahahahahaha! Of course I'm here! Didn't think I'd miss this party, eh Betty~?"

"That voice!" Kyo gasped.

"That annoying little pissant..." K' groaned.

From the source of the flames, where it burned brightest and strongest, emerged a grinning figure. His body was clad in a familiar red jumpsuit, his white hair in it's usual rather effeminate style and held together with a red hairband. He carried himself with poise, confidence, arrogance... and a bit of sass.

"Hah! Now this, I like! All the eyes on me, the real star of this show! Ahahahaha!" he giggled obnoxiously, putting his hand to his lips like a foppish douchebag.

"How is that asshole back?!" K' growled.

"That's impossible..." Benimaru gasped.

From afar, Iori Yagami's eyes lit up as his fists began to glow purple. Right then and there, he wanted to strike against this familiar threat...

"What? You're surprised? Look, I've already served my penance, okay? I've spent my time in the penalty box, and I was released for good behavior. I'm here, whether you like it or not." the white haired man put his hands on his hips and stuck his tongue out at the naysayers.

"Ash Crimson... so nice of you to join us." Chizuru bowed. "Here's your card. You were just in time."

Ash smiled and accepted the card. "Thankies~"

"Alright! If there's no more surprises... I think we can get started."

"NOOOOOOO!" Ryo squealed. "WHERE'S KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!"

"R-Ryo!" a familiar female voice called out.

"K-King?!"

Ryo spotted the figure he was waiting for pushing past the crowd, working her way up to him. As soon as he saw her, his face burned bright red as the embarassment kicked in that he was making a scene over her.

"Ryo!" King cried out as she finally got past the crowd and ran up to him as fast as possible.

"Huff... huff... Ryo... I'm here. Heh heh."

"K-King! What the heck took you so long, woman?! I was worried sick about you!" Ryo berated. "Do you have your card?"

King hunched over, panting a few more times to catch her breath. "Huff...huff... actually... I got my card a long time ago. Heh heh."

Ryo's eyebrow nearly left his head. "WhAAAAAAAA?"

King grinned awkwardly as she scratched her head. "You see, I arrived around the time all the fighters were starting to pour in, so I never got a chance to talk to you. And Chizuru, well... she wanted me to make drinks for the crowd. S-since we're old friends and all, I couldn't say no to her... ehehehe..."

Ryo felt a massive weight off his shoulders... that was immediately replaced by the impact of embarassment. Right now, his pigmentation had completely altered to pink.

"Uhhh.. right... heh heh... well uh... good for you. I'm glad you got here nice and early. C-congrats. Uh... s-sorry for the scene, people! You can carry on now... Ch-Chizuru..."

"Okay, can I have everyone's attention please!" Chizuru called out loudly. "E-everyone? Hello?"

"EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Upon hearing a rude, nasty voice telling them all to clam up, the crowd as well as the fighters all finally got the message.

"Th-thank you... Yamazaki." Chizuru awkwardly bowed.

"Anytime." the mean thug grinned maliciously, flashing a thumbs up.

At last, the town square had grown silent. Chizuru cleared her throat before preparing to speak into the microphone; she'd have to be loud and clear for everyone to hear.

"Okay! You all know why you're here. 80 of the best fighters in the world have come here to participate in the King of Fighters Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite. It is a single elimination tournament, that will pit you against each other in 1-on-1 combat until only one man is left standing at the end."

"Or woman~" Vanessa winked. Upon seeing Vanessa be so cute, Ramon collapsed to his knees with a nosebleed.

"Now, in case you're wondering where you're all standing... this coliseum was specifically constructed just for this tournament!"

A flurry of "ooh"s and "ahh"s erupted from all of the fighters, as well as the crowd, impressed by such a financial feat that was performed just for one contest.

"Whoa... that's amazing, Chizuru." Must have cost you a pretty penny." Benimaru declared.

Chizuru tilted her head and nervously rubbed her head. "Ah, um, well... about that. You see... I didn't go in on this alone, ehehehe."

As she said those words, a black helicopter appeared high in the sky. The roaring machine produced an uncomfortable, almost deafening symphony to the ears below.

"Gaaaaah, my ears!"

"Someone shut that thing off!"

Terry removed his cap and looked up at the chopper to get a better view; something felt ominous to him.

The door opened, and the ladder fell out. Terry could spot two figures cling to the ladder, as the chopper began to descend little by little.

"Damn, I thought all the surprises were over." Kyo grunted.

Suddenly, the chopper stopped. The two figures let go of the ladder and began plummeting towards the ground. The first one landed perfectly on his feet, making the ground quake from the tremendous impact. The second guy extended a long red staff, which impacted on the ground and stopped his momentum enough to land on his feet properly.

"Sorry I'm late." a VERY familiar, unpleasant voice spat.

Terry felt like going apeshit right there. The longer he looked at him: that stupid blonde hair, that ugly smirking face, his arms folded like he's such a big and important muchacho... the more the blood in Terry's veins boiled.

It was HIM: the man who never dies.

"GEESE!" Terry called out his name, thrusting his finger threateningly.

"Glad you little fleas remember my name, gahahahahahaha!" Geese tilted his head back and let loose a booming, obnoxious laugh.

"Hey, what gives Chizuru? Why the hell did you let Geese in?" Joe Higashi complained.

"Despite your personal feelings for the man, Mr. Howard has a vast amount of wealth and resources. So, I enlisted his help to construct this: Grande Colosseo di Howard."

"That's right, punks! The boss's name is on the building. So show him some respect!" Geese's underling, Billy Kane spat. He was looking as punk as ever, with his Union Jack-themed bandana and leather jacket and pants.

"I don't expect you all to like Geese, but I do expect you to treat him with proper conduct." Chizuru reminded. "After all, he was the one who started King of Fighters in the first place. He deserves to be here more than any of you."

"And another thing. Just because Chizuru is too spineless to throw her hat in the ring, doesn't mean I am!" Geese spat. "So you can expect to meet me on the field of battle. I'll crush every last one of you!"

"Grr... looking forward to it, Geese..." Terry mumbled hatefully under his breath.

"OKAY!" Chizuru boomed into the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen... your 80 contestants are HERE!"

The crowd gave a little round of applause, celebrating the gathering of so many talented fighters in one place.

"Now... a few things I want to make clear." Chizuru stated. "First of all... make sure you don't lose your entry cards! All 80 of you have received one. You need this card to be eligible to compete!"

The fighters all nodded, some of them checking their pockets to make sure they still had theirs.

"Secondly! You lucky 80 were fortunate to be the first ones to get here. First come, first served. But I warn you: tread carefully. You are NOT safe before the tournament begins. There's always someone out there willing to take your place... or KNOCK you out of place. If you lose your card before the competition and it ends up in someone else's grasp, then they'll be the lucky one competing."

"Whoa... Chizuru's not playing around." Mai whispered. "Andy, you'll help me protect my card right?"

"Shh! Just put it somewhere people can't reach it."

"Oh I understand completely~"

With a snicker, Mai inserted her card right where she thought it best: directly into her cleavage. The card disappeared instantly, as if it was swallowed up by her boobs.

"Now then... that settles it! The King of Fighters Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite will begin tomorrow!" Chizuru announced, receiving a typhoon of applause and cheers soon after.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you all to join us for the pre-fight party. We're gonna have great food and drink, and the fighters will be there to sign autographs and whatever else you want!"

At last, the ceremony was over. The massive audience began to very slowly break up, as they got back in their cars and headed down the street to the grand hotel where the pre-fight party would take place. The bustle was simply moving from one place to another.

The fighters all found their way to the hotel as well, some more eager than others for a taste of the limelight. K' nearly had to be dragged by Kula, a difficult feat for the smaller girl. Luckily, she had Candy to help her.

The fighting was very soon to come... but for this evening, it was time to celebrate.

 **In case you were trying to keep count, no I didn't introduce all 80 fighters. That'd take forever! If you want to truly know all 80 of them, you'll have to keep reading : )**

 **Also, please don't lecture me about timelines and canon and stuff. That gives me a headache. This is fanfiction, and no way is Geese Howard and Ash Crimson not gonna be in this! That being said, there is ONE Garou: Mark of the Wolves character in the tournament so... lol. Don't lecture me about timelines and canon and stuff xD**

 **NEXT: Pre-fight party and hotel room arrangments!**


	3. Chapter 3: Pre-fight Party

**I know this is a long one, and by the time you finish, you'll be ready for the tournament to start. I just feel like the buildup is integral, and I enjoy exploring the characters and having them interact in peacetime. But don't worry! I swear this is the last buildup chapter. The tournament WILL begin after this, I promise.**

 **Also, I'd like to take this moment and give a shoutout to my reviewers. dunkingman is a loyal reader of mine, and I can always rely on him. Dune7 has become a friend of mine lately. LordryuTJ and Rex Madison, I appreciate you guys' enthusiasm and I hope this will entertain despite not having the Maximum Impact characters you wanted and... not being a votefic. Sorry, I'm deciding the winners lol.**

 **Anyways, that's enough of that. Enjoy.**

The pre-fight party was a huge turnout; the luxury hotel where the event was hosted was packed, all the way to the parking lot. Hardcore fans from all around the globe came here in hopes of enjoying the good food and company, as well as the chance to meet their idols up close.

Inside the building, the fighters enjoyed being worshiped by their admirers. Autographs were being signed, pictures taken, and interviews held.

"MISS SHIRANUI OVER HERE!"

"MAI! HEY MAI, POSE FOR THE CAMERA!"

"MISS SHIRANUI, CAN I GET A SHOT?"

"LOOK OVER HERE MISS SHIRANUI!"

Like rapid machine gun fire, flashes lit up the building as eager cameras aimed to capture every angle of Mai Shiranui. Thousands of kilobytes of data were being devoted to taking shot after shot of the buxom ninja babe, as she struck sexy poses for her devoted (and horny) fanbase. She extended her leg, got down on all fours, laid prone on the floor, even spread out on her side like a bikini model, with one hand propping her face up. The fans drank up every pose, as their thumbs mashed the button as fast as humanly possible.

"Looks like Mai is making the most of things." Terry pointed out.

"Guh... that girl just has to be the center of attention..." Andy facepalmed.

"What's the matter, Andy? You don't like people ogling your girl?" Joe teased.

"Well, that can't really be avoided. I just wish Mai didn't enjoy it so much..."

Aside from Mai, The most popular girl in the room seemed to be Athena. Men and women alike flocked all around her, requesting pictures and autographs of their purple-haired idol.

"MISS ASAMIYA, I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!"

"MISS ASAMIYA, I LOVE YOU!"

No stranger to the limelight, the J-Pop singer knew exactly how to work a crowd and charm her admirers.

"I love all of you, my adoring fans~!" she cried out, as she blew them a kiss and a wink. "I promise to win this tournament for you all~!"

While one Psycho Soldier was basking in the attention... the other was far from happy. Sie Kensou sulked in a corner, his arms folded as he pouted at all the men admiring her.

"Hmph, vultures! Just you wait... I'll be the one who wins in the end! None of you will have her..."

While there were some who seemed to handle popularity just fine... there were others, like K' Dash, who shunned large crowds.

"K' is so dreamy~"

"K', can I get your phone number?!"

"HAVE A BABY WITH ME, K'!"

All of these requests and words of praise fell on deaf ears, as K' relaxed at a table with the chair leaned back, his legs propped up with hands behind his head, and his sunglasses on. Those dark shades hid his expression from the world... and shut out all of the annoying faces pestering him. Like an onslaught, the girls continued to call out his name, asking that he fulfill their wildest fantasies... but he wasn't having it.

"Everyone... shut... the hell... up."

Meanwhile, the Sakazakis seemed to be having a good time... except for Ryo. While Yuri and Robert were off enjoying their status as the cutest couple, Ryo was frantically searching for a certain someone. Finally, he spotted her... and his lips curved downwards when he saw her working behind the bar.

"Hey Ryo! Over here!" King called out, waving to him with a smile.

Ryo managed a weak smile as he leisurely walked over there, standing in an empty spot and leaning over the bar.

"Can I get you anything? Fighters drink for free... responsibly."

"Yeah, get me an Old Fashioned." Ryo requested.

As King prepared the simple ingredients, she noticed Ryo's somber expression. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I just wasn't expecting you to uh... be working is all." Ryo sighed.

"I'm sorry..." King looked down. "Chizuru needs me, Ryo. I can't let her down on such a busy night."

"I know, it's just... we haven't had a chance to spend any time together..." Ryo mumbled, a little red on his cheeks.

"We'll get a chance soon, okay? I promise." King smiled. She presented his glass to him, which Ryo happily accepted and took a sip.

"So? What do you think?"

"...Perfect, as always. No one does it better." Ryo winked.

"Is everyone having a good time?!" Chizuru called out into the microphone. She was met with a loud, positive response from the party-goers.

"Good! Everyone gather round, and see what you're fighting for!"

The crowd broke out in "oohs" and "ahh"s as Chizuru rolled in a cart, which contained a 30-inch tall solid gold trophy, engraved with the letters "KING OF FIGHTERS".

And surrounding the trophy... a vast pool of green. Towers and towers of money... 2 million dollars in total. These valuable prizes would go to the one lucky man or woman who emerges on top, above all others. While there were some in the competition that had no need for money... that sweet cash looked very enticing to most others.

Honor. Glory. Fame. Status. Cold, hard cash. They fight for all these reasons... whose ambition will prevail?

After the trophy was carried away (for protection), the party was back in full swing. King kept the drinks rolling. Duck King and Bob Wilson had a dance competition. Once people had their fill of Mai, they began to flock to the other girls for pictures, such as Vanessa, Yuri, and Ai. Of course, Ai was a hard person to get ahold of, as she had her nose stuck in her beloved videogames.

"Ai! Hey, Ai! People are trying to get your attention, dummy." Yuki roughly patted her head to try and snap her out of her funk.

"B-but I'm so close to winning!"

"Cmon, Ai... it's a party."

"Just one minute!"

"Okay... what if I do this?!"

Yuki chuckled as he grabbed Ai's cap and pulled it down, covering her face.

"WAAAAH! YUKI, STOP IT! I'M LOSING!"

"Hahaha! Good! The quicker you lose, the quicker you'll stop embarassing me."

"Yuki, you're so mean!"

The only other girl who was giving the paparazzi a hard time was Leona, perhaps the most anti-social girl of them all. Not a single camera dared point in her direction as she sat at a secluded table and enjoyed her drink. In one hand was her scotch on the rocks; in the other hand, her combat knife was blade-down on the table, which she casually spun around in her hand like a top. This was enough to intimidate and scare away anyone who had the foolhardy notion of approaching.

Ralf and Clark, on the other hand...

"GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!" the crowd chanted as King reluctantly kept sliding them shots. As fast as they came out, Ralf and Clark would down them.

"Heh heh heh! Hic! You're not gonna-HIC! beat me Clark my man! This is my domain!" Ralf slurred.

"It's about time- HIC! you got- HIC! knocked down a peg Ralfy!" Clark countered. He downed another shot, tilting the glass upside down and slamming it.

"I said drink responsibly..." King angrily muttered.

Heidern would have been there to scold them, but he was sharing a drink elsewhere with Takuma. Whip was also nowhere to be found, as she was hanging out with Kula and friends. Leona didn't seem to care. With no one to intervene, Ralf and Clark's ill-advised drinking contest raged on and on, seemingly endless...

"Those guys don't know what's good for em." Kyo shook his head as he said those words.

"Heh, well it helps us in the long run. Hopefully they'll suck tomorrow with big, throbbing hangovers to worry about." Benimaru grinned.

"Come on, man, don't wish ill will on our opponents." Goro scolded.

"Hey, it's their own fault!"

"Cmon guys, let's go find Terry's crew." Kyo declared, nudging his friends to follow him.

As the three of them started to walk away, they were approached by a rapidly moving, enthusiastic figure.

"KYO! BENIMARU! DAIMON! HEY!"

As soon as they noticed who it was, their faces lit up with surprise. He huffed and puffed as he sprinted, his light brown hair swaying under his white headband, which was similar to Kyo's. He was sporting his classic blue outfit, meant to emulate his idol but without being identical. Yes, the zealous youth had found them at last.

"Shingo! I didn't know you were here." Kyo greeted. "You came all the way to Italy by yourself?"

Shingo Yabuki finally skidded to a halt in front of them, hunching over and breathing.

"Huff... huff... yes! I intentionally didn't travel with you guys. I strove to find my own way to Italy, to prove that I can stand on my own two feet in this competition!"

"Well, you certainly got heart my man." Benimaru complimented.

"This competition will be the hardest one you've ever faced. Are you sure you're up to the task, Shingo? This isn't child's play." Kyo warned.

"Don't you worry about me, guys!" Shingo boasted as he raised a fist. "I'm gonna prove myself to all three of you by getting far in this competition! I'm not sure I'll win... but hopefully I'll last long enough to make a good impression. And maybe... maybe WE'LL face off!"

Kyo chuckled. "Heh heh, well don't sound so excited about it. If you wanna face me, you better pray it's in the finals."

Shingo extended a fist. "It's a deal, then! You and me, in the finals!"

Kyo nodded and fist bumped him. "Don't let me down, Shingo."

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

With that exchange of pleasantries, Shingo Yabuki ran off to go enjoy the party some more. He seemed to never skip a beat, his energy levels off the charts.

"Wish I had his youth and energy." Goro smiled.

"That kid's the future." Kyo stated, placing a hand on Goro's shoulder. "Maybe this tournament will show it, or maybe it won't. But it's true, nonetheless."

Meanwhile, back at the bar, the Sakazakis and Robert were chatting with Terry and the gang. Since it was such a big place, they believed in using the buddy system for comfort.

"Hey, have you seen Mary around?" Terry asked his friends.

"I think she's outside, man. She didn't want to leave her dog all alone, since the hotel is strict against pets." Robert replied.

"Thanks. Well fellas, I'm gonna head out to the parking lot. Get some night air."

"Alright, bro. Take care." Andy nodded.

As Ryo, Robert, Andy and Joe enjoyed their drinks, a mysterious figure approached out of nowhere. Ryo and Robert couldn't help but turn their heads to look at the person: he or she was quite exotically dressed, with a huge purple cloak covering a foreign white outfit. A hood obstructed the face; all they could tell about the figure was that he/she had black hair and dark brown skin. The most noticeable feature, however, was the scimitar sheathed on the person's belt.

"Whoa... that guy looks bloodthirsty." Joe pointed out.

A shiver crept through their spines as the figure sat down at the bar right next to them. He/she extended a finger to the drink menu, pointing out the exact drink for King to make.

"Um, sure. I'll have that right away sir... or m-ma'am."

As the figure sat in silence, Ryo, Robert, Andy and Joe continued to stare. This person gave off such an unsettling aura... as if just getting close would cut you. They wondered where this person came from, and whether they were in the tournament or not.

Finally, with curiosity overcoming him, Robert called out.

"Hey, friend! Are you participating in the tournament too?"

"...I'm not your friend, boy." a sinister female voice responded.

"Wh-whoa... harsh." Joe chimed in.

Ryo and Robert looked at each other nervously, then back at the mysterious female.

"U-um... okay. So where you from? What are you competing for? That sweet cash?"

The figure turned and faced them; they couldn't see her face, but they could see her gritting teeth.

"What I'm doing here is of no concern to you. I suggest you look out for your own necks... before you lose them."

As she said those words, her scimitar seemed to ominously sparkle. That alone was enough to shut down their curiosity and send the message that they should stay the hell away from this woman.

"Okay... that's all. Thank you." Robert nervously stammered.

"Damn, what a bitch!" Joe mumbled. "It was just friendly conversation!"

"Take it easy, Joe." Andy whispered. "Some people aren't here to make friends. They're just here to win."

"Yeah, well it's still a friendly competition. It's called sportsmanship! Ugh, I hope that bitch goes down hard."

"J-Joe, be quiet! Do you want her to slice your head off?!"

As Joe and Andy argued, Robert put his hand to his chin and pondered deeply. That woman... was familiar...

Chizuru walked around the hotel, scanning her surroundings, just making sure everything was in order and people were having a good time. She smiled as she looked around; things were going great. It filled her with confidence and reassurance that she was doing a good job.

As wary as Chizuru was of her surroundings, she ironically did not see the person in front of her... which she plowed into.

"Oof!"

Chizuru looked in front of her, and broke out in goosebumps when she saw the figure standing in front of her. Red suit, white hair in a hairband, freckles... that dopey smirk on his face. This was the second time she had to be face-to-face with this particular person, who she'd rather avoid in the near future.

"Mademoiselle Kagura. Didn't see me walking here?" Ash joked.

"Uh um... I d-didn't... I'm sorry I... uh..." she stammered, her words caught in her throat.

"You look nervous. Got a problem with me?" he smirked.

"N-no!"

Ash tilted his head back and let loose this squeaky, girly laugh. "Ahahahaha! Sorry, sorry. Look, I understand. I did bad stuff to you and that Yagami fella. But seriously, I've seen the error of my ways. I promise never to harm a hair on your beautiful head ever again~"

Chizuru took a single step back. "Right... well... I'll hold you to that promise. Just, behave please."

Ash's grin grew wider. "I promise to be a good little boy. Don't worry about me."

Ash put his hands on his hips and walked past her. He turned around one last time, blurting,

"Come ON, SHEN! I need your help to get me a drink!"

Seconds later, his former teammate Shen Woo came strutting past Chizuru with his hands in his pockets. "I'm coming, I'm coming! Sheesh. Don't know why I'm helping you anyway... you dirty little... hmph..."

Chizuru's nerves didn't die down until that kid was finally out of her sight and out of mind. When at last his presence was gone, she let out a HUGE exhale.

But just when that surprise was over, she was startled by another voice from behind.

"I'm going to kill that guy."

Chizuru turned around and met the vengeful eyes of Iori Yagami. A huge scowl was on his face, and she could see purple embers emerging from his palms, threatening anyone who got too close.

"Don't say that, please... this is a friendly competition."

"I don't give a damn. That runt is going down." Iori growled.

"I'm willing to forgive him for what he did to me. Are you?"

"No. He's going down, and then Kyo is next."

Those were the only words he had to say. As quickly as he appeared, he put his hands in his pockets and walked away with his same nasty look.

"Whew... no more confrontations tonight, please." Chizuru mumbled to herself.

Outside the hotel, people were still bustling in the parking lot, although it had died down a little as the night grew dark. Some of the fighters were hanging out outside, which prompted fans to stick around, but it was generally a lot more peaceful than inside. A lot of the more secluded characters chose to stay out here, rather than face the huge commotion inside.

Terry and Mary were sitting side-by-side, their backs up against a wall as they laughed and chatted. They were both loners, preferring a more quiet setting. Perhaps it had to do with unfortunate circumstances in their lives... but these things are what caused their bond to grow so strong. For these two loners... having each other was the greatest feeling.

"So how bad do you want to win?" Mary asked, striking up a conversation.

"Eh... it doesn't matter that much to me." Terry replied. "I've already had many great victories in my fighting career. I've had my time at the top. It's not an urge for me anymore. I'm just here to have fun, and enjoy all the familiar faces."

"Mm... I agree. I may not have won a King of Fighters tournament like you did... but fighting's never been about being the best for me." Mary replied. "Fighting is just something I've had to do. That's how Vanessa, Seth and me relate, I think. That's why being here is so important; it's nice to not have those burdens for once. I'm going to use my skills not for violence, or self-defense... just to compete with others in healthy sport."

Terry put his hand on hers. "So if WE were to fight..."

Mary chuckled. "Let's not think about that. I doubt it'll happen anyway. I'll probably lose far before you do, haha."

Terry grinned. "Well in any case... good luck. And try not to break any bones."

Terry and Mary's solemn little moment was interrupted by Yamazaki, who was also hanging out outside the building. He was sitting about 30 yards away.

"HEY MARY! Get your stupid mutt before I chop him up and sell him to a Korean restaraunt!"

Mary smiled at her dog, who was currently chewing on the psychopath's shoe. "Cmere, Anton! Cmere!"

Upon hearing his master's voice, Antonio immediately sprinted away from Yamazaki and dived into Mary's arms, licking her face. Mary hugged him affectionately, while Terry chuckled and petted him.

Suddenly, Chizuru came out of the hotel with her microphone.

"Attention, everybody! King just made last call! To all the fighters out here, just a reminder: you are responsible for sleeping arrangements and transportation to the Coliseum! Be there at 8:00 AM sharp! Have a good night!"

Mary looked down at her dog, then up at Terry.

"So what do you say? Wanna help me smuggle this adorable furball into our hotel room?"

Terry got to his feet and stretched, then extended a hand to help Mary up. "Yeah, let's think of a plan."

Before they could even discuss it, Mary noticed Vanessa giggling and stumbling out of the hotel. She ran right up to Mary and collapsed on her shoulder.

"Ugh... h-hey! M-Mary... heh heh... I'm a little drunk." Vanessa slurred. "I n-need your help getting a hotel room."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Aw, get Ramon to do it will ya? He'd be more than happy."

Vanessa pouted. "H-hey! After I... got you here... all the way to Italy- HIC! Fffffffine... I'll get Ramon..."

Mary gave her a friendly hug. "Me and Terry are going to bed. Cmon Anton!"

Taking Terry's hand, the two of them made their way into the hotel, with Anton quietly scurrying behind them. How they get the dog in there, nobody knows.

As the night was well in motion, the party died down and people finally went home. The fighters, tired from the day's antics, finally settled down for the night and checked into the hotel rooms. Thus, a new adventure began... bedtime.

 **IN THE HALLWAYS...**

"Cmon, Vanessa! Pleeeease!" Ramon begged.

"...You're not sharing a room with me."

"Why not?!"

"Hello! I'm married. Plus, I'm only paying for a single-bed room."

"Umm... I'll cover the rent!" Ramon suddenly blurted.

That perked Vanessa up a bit. "...Seriously? All of it?"

"Yeah! Every penny!" Ramon grinned.

Vanessa put a hand to her chin. "Hmmm... w-well... HIC... I guess that's okay then."

"R-really... you really... mean it... I...I can share a room with you?!"

Vanessa sighed. "Yes..."

Ramon looked like he was going to cry, right there in the hallway. "YEEEEEES! ALL MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE!"

"...You're not sleeping in the same bed with me."

"...Awwww. Damn. So uh... how much is a two-bed?"

Meanwhile, on a higher floor, another conundrum about sleeping arrangements was being solved. Kula had quite a full party, which would make for quite an expensive hotel room. So, discussions were underway between she and her other teammates.

"U-um... K'?" she blushed as she softly spoke his name, looking away and gently fiddling with her fingers.

K' looked down at her. "Yeah?"

"C-can... I stay with you and Maxima?"

K's eyebrow shot up. "W-what? Why! Don't you wanna stay with Diana and Foxy?"

Kula's face turned even redder. "Y-yes, but... we brought Candy along with us. So, four people in a hotel room is kind of a crowd. If I stay with you, then that's a nice even three per room!"

K' looked over at Maxima, just to get his take on the request. He had a little grin.

"Cmon K'... the princess wants to stay with us. Don't break her heart and say no."

K' tilted his head and sighed. "Guh... well, she can't sleep with you! You'll roll over and crush her!"

"I-I can sleep in the same bed with you. I don't take up much space, tee hee~" Kula meekly giggled. Her face was at a critical level of red as she spoke those words.

"Oh for the love of..."

"Come on K', let her stay with you." Diana commanded. "But I mean it, you better not do anything to her!"

K' immediately got defensive. "Hey hey hey! Nobody even had that notion in their head until you opened your big mouth! Damn!"

With one more sigh of defeat, K' nodded his head. "Okay Kula, you can stay with us."

"Yaaaaay~!" Kula cheered as she did a cute little leap of joy.

The ice girl turned to her three counterparts, who all gathered around her and hugged her.

"Goodnight, Diana. Goodnight, Foxy. Goodnight, Candy~"

As she said goodnight to her teammates, a kiss on the cheek was exchanged each time. The mushiness of this moment almost drove K' crazy with annoyance.

"Goodnight, Kula. Sleep well, so you can fight hard tomorrow." Diana told her with a warm smile.

"Kay~"

"Alright, now let's go. I'm tired." K' urged.

All of the fighters managed to have somewhere to lay their head that night. Many of them had no problem with pooling money to share a room together... while others preferred to be all alone. Some got the more expensive, luxurious rooms, while others preferred more humble settings. And maybe, there were even some that didn't stay at the hotel that night.

 **ROOM 312**

Andy emerged from the bathroom, having taken a nice hot shower to relax his muscles and help him get a good night sleep. He only rented a 1-bed room... which had major consequences.

"Oh Andyyyyy~"

Andy froze as he witnessed Mai on his bed, her clothes discarded on the floor, the only thing hiding her nudity the blanket she held to her chest. She had a lustful grin on her face as she eyed Andy's towel-clad body up and down.

"M-MAI!" Andy groaned. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Cmooooon Andy~" Mai cooed. "What better way to ease our minds for tomorrow's contest than a little... physical release~?"

Andy shook his head repeatedly. "N-no! No no no! I'm not in the mood for this, Mai! It's the night before the big tournament and I don't want to be distracted by your-"

Mai suddenly let go of the blanket covering herself.

"...Um, on second thought... scoot over." Andy said, eyes as wide as open windows.

 **ROOM 327**

King plopped onto the bed with the loudest, most tired groan. Her body immediately molded to the mattress, making the idea of getting up a pointless endeavor.

"Ughhhhhhhhh... I'm so tired. Chizuru ran me ragged!"

"I'm sure she's incredibly grateful for your help." Ryo reassured. "It was nice of you to look out for your former teammate."

"Yeah... well now my body is done for. My arms are numb, legs and feet hurting from standing all day. I'm going to lose my first fight, I just know it!" King whined.

"Aw, King..."

Ryo felt kind of helpless as he stood there and watched King suffer on the bed. No doubt, every muscle was aching from her long, long day of providing service. It was a hard life King chose, being a fighter as well as a bartender. Unfortunately, those two hobbies interconnected today.

There had to be something he could do to ease her pain... and then suddenly, an idea popped in his head. It was a bold move... but Ryo hadn't had a chance to be with King all day! He wanted some intimate time with her, and now!

"King... why don't you get comfy. I'm gonna give you a massage."

King perked up, her cheeks getting a little flushed upon hearing that. "R-Ryo... are you serious?"

"Y-yeah, I mean... would you like that?" Ryo nervously asked, his own face getting warm now.

"Yes... I would."

"Okay then. Lay down prone and, uh... you know..."

"Take my clothes off?'

"ULP! Y-yeah... I'll look away."

Ryo turned around and closed his eyes, trying to stifle his embarassment. He tried to concentrate on other things... but he could hear the rustling of clothing behind him. He could hear her clothes hitting the floor. It was driving him insane...

"O-okay Ryo... I'm ready."

Ryo turned back around, and he nearly choked on the saliva in his throat. King was laying prone, her chin tucked underneath a pillow, a sheet covering her lower half. The sheet was pulled all the way down to the very threshold of her waist, exposing every flawless inch of her smooth, bare back. He couldn't help but stare at that blanket; if it shifted ever-slightly, even a gust of wind moved it, he could see her...

Ryo shook aside these perverted thoughts and circled around the bed, hovering over King's back.

"Okay... I might not be good at this..."

"Haha, it's okay. I don't mind." King smiled.

"Okay... here goes."

Ryo's hands touched down on her back, and began sliding up and down her beautiful, supple skin. His hands trailed all the way down until they touched the sheet, then slid back up the entirety of her back until he reached her shoulders.

"Mmmm... that's nice, Ryo." King moaned as Ryo repeated the motion several times.

"Okay... how about this?"

Ryo put his hands on her shoulders and began working the muscles in a circular motion. He got into a nice rhythm, circling his hands around and around clockwise. King moaned as she could feel her tenseness loosening, her body slowly becoming like butter.

"Ahh... that's great. Mmm, keep going..."

Needless to say, Ryo got his fill of touching King that night. He enjoyed every countless minute of touching, caressing, worshiping her lovely bare skin... and King basked in the touch of the man she admired for so long.

"Mmmm... thank you for doing this for me Ryo. You're the sweetest..."

"N-no problem."

They enjoyed this nice, serene, soothing time together. No crowds to deal with, no busy work... just the two of them. They had both been desperate for a time like this, for a long while now. A time when the two of them can just get away from it all, and go somewhere nice. What could be a nicer place than Italy, one of the most romantic countries in the world? They may be there to fight... but that doesn't mean there's no time for other things.

"Ryo..."

"Hm?"

King closed her eyes and inhaled, her courage manifesting right then and there as she opened her mouth. "Sleep with me tonight."

He felt his body fluctuate as he heard that simple request. "Y-you sure...?"

"Yes... we've got some catching up to do."

"...I couldn't agree more."

With those simple words, Ryo and King turned off all the lamps. Though they had barely any time together today... they were about to make up for it, right here and right now.

 **ROOM 420**

Yuki was already nice and comfy in bed, shirtless with a white pair of comfy shorts. His special suit and gear was safely put away. As tired as he was, all of the lamps were still on... for one reason.

"Grr! Come on! Ugh! Stop spamming that! GRRR!"

"Ai..." Yuki groaned. "Will you please, PLEASE quit playing your Neo Geo Pocket and come to bed already?"

But Ai wouldn't listen. She was already comfy in a white t-shirt and her adorable comfort-fitting panties with Metal Slug characters on them and her matching socks... but still she refused to crawl into bed alongside Yuki until she beat the final stage.

"Look, can you give me one second please! I'm trying to beat Young Geese!"

"...Seriously? Nobody can beat Young Geese."

"I can! Just gimme a minute!"

"Ugh..."

Ai was laying prone on the bed, her legs kicked in the air with her feet behind her head, dangling back and forth as she diligently focused on her videogame. She looked too cute... and it made Yuki even more anxious for her to come to bed already.

"Okay, look, if I tell you the secret to beating Young Geese, can we go to bed already?"

That caused Ai to actually look away from her screen. "You know how to beat Young Geese and you haven't told me?!"

"I was saving that ammo for a special occasion."

"O...kay. What's the occasion?"

Yuki blushed. "W-well... you look so cute right now and I wanna snuggle."

Ai smiled. "Awwwww! You're such a sweetie. Very well then~"

"So you'll come to bed?"

"Not until I beat this!"

"Oh for pete's sake! Just jump straight up when he fires a Reppuken, then walk right up to him and throw him, then fireball him on wakeup to dizzy him! Jeez, it's not hard!"

"...I love you."

Yuki gave a huge sigh of relief when Ai at long last beat the game and finally turned the blasted device off, setting it on the lamp table. Finally, they turned the lamps off and Ai crawled under the covers with him.

"Come here, cutie~" Yuki whispered.

Ai giggled as she scooted against Yuki and pressed her body against him, moaning happily as she rested her head under his chin and draped an arm and leg over him. Yuki wrapped his arms around Ai and trapped her in a tight embrace, desiring to not let her go for the rest of the night. She picked her head up for only a couple seconds, to meet his lips with a soft, warm goodnight kiss.

Minutes later, their eyes closed and the two agents drifted off to sleep in a warm embrace.

 **ROOM 503**

Maxima was already fast asleep in his bed, which he took up the entirety of. K' was attempting to close his eyes and drift off to sleep... but it was too strange with Kula next to him. It was incredibly unfamiliar to him, having someone else sleep next to him; therefore, his mind struggled to properly shut down.

"...Hey K'?" he heard a tiny whisper next to him, courtesy of Kula

"What?" he whispered back.

"I'm having a hard time sleeping."

"Yeah, well join the club."

"I'm so used to snuggling with Diana, that now I can't sleep on my own." Kula whispered.

"Really? Well I'm the opposite. I can't sleep with you next to me." K' grumbled.

"Oh... I'm sorry. Um...?"

"What?"

"Nevermind."

"No, what? Just say it. Don't make me play a guessing game."

"W-well um... ah... I was wondering if I could... umm... you could help me sleep better~?"

"...You're not suggesting what I think you are."

"C-cmon! Just pretend I'm a teddy bear, or a doll or..."

"Do I look like the kind of person that sleeps with stuffed toys?"

"W-well... you could be..."

"Gaaaah! Okay... I'm tired. If I let you snuggle against me, will you promise not to make another peep?"

"Y-yes~"

"Okay then."

"Thank you~!"

K' let out an annoyed sigh as he heard stirring next to him. The next thing he knew, he felt a petite figure press against him and an arm drape over his torso. He could hear Kula's sigh of comfort, as if all she ever needed in the world to sleep was snuggling with him. She nuzzled her head against his chest repeatedly, as if to soften up his tough exterior.

"Mmmm... hey K'?"

"What..."

"Diana and Foxy may not like you very much... but I like you a whole lot~"

"...Well you know what, Kula? Between Diana, Foxy and you... I like you the best."

"Tee hee~"

At last, Kula was finally comfortable enough to drift off to sleep. Even K' was surprisingly more comfy, as he felt his eyelids get heavy. As their slumber overtook them... K's arm instinctively wrapped around Kula and hugged her tight.

 **PENTHOUSE SUITE**

"Hey, this room is pretty sweet! I guess that's why they call it a 'suite', haha!" Shen Woo laughed obnoxiously at his own lame joke as he flopped on the soft mattress of his bed a few times.

Ash rolled his eyes. "I'm going to overlook that lame joke because this hot tub feels SO GOOD~"

The fire user grinned as he ignited his hand with a green flame and stuck it deep in the water, causing the water to boil. But he didn't seem bothered by it; no, it only felt like heaven to him.

"Ahhhhhhh... now, I expect you both to forgive my past betrayal after hooking you up with such sweet digs~" Ash called out to his two roommates, his frequent teammate Shen Woo and his one-time teammate Oswald, who was laying on his own bed and throwing his playing cards at the ceiling. The cards stuck in the wood as if they were throwing knives.

"Ah well... bygones and bygones, I guess. I don't really give a shit anymore. At least I'm still breathin!" Shen Woo exclaimed.

"That's the spirit~!" Ash happily exclaimed with a smile. "And how about you, Ozzy? You don't hold a grudge against little ol me, do you~?"

Oswald smirked as he danced a playing card between his fingers. "You're just lucky I had such a major breakthrough in my life. Both of you are. Now that I don't need those blasted Dragon Pills anymore, I realize now how sweet life is. Even a mere glass of water is honey on my lips. Life is simply too valuable to waste time holding such petty grudges. So... consider your debt cancelled."

"And THAT'S why you two are my favorites~" Ash giggled. He tilted his head back and let out a sigh as the hot water soothed his bare skin. "Hey, does anybody else want in on this?"

But before that request could be answered, there was a firm knock at the door.

"ENTREZ, S'IL VOUS PLAIT!" Ash called out with a smile.

The door opened, and in barged a very disgruntled-looking Elisabeth Blanctorche. At her side was the ever-static, stoic face of Duo Lon, a teammate of hers in several King of Fighters tournaments. He was also on Ash and Shen Woo's team at least once.

"Oh, hey Betty. You seem tense. Why don't you get those stuffy clothes off and come join me~" Ash beckoned. "Oh, and you can join too, Monsieur Lon~"

"I didn't come here for pleasantries, Ash." Elisabeth fired back.

"Oh? So it's not pleasant to see me? How rude!" Ash pouted. "Well, why are you here then huh? Why is he here?"

"He's here to provide backup for me. From you." Elisabeth explained. "Because I'm not so sure WHAT you're capable of anymore."

Ash pointed a finger at himself and put on the most innocent face. "From me? What? I wouldn't harm even a scurrying little cockroach~"

"Don't lie to me, Ash. I want to know why you're in this tournament." Elisabeth demanded. "You didn't come here in the spirit of friendly competition."

Ash snickered. "So what, I can't do anything anymore without having some sort of selfish motive?"

"I don't blame her for thinkin it." Shen Woo chimed in, still lazing around on his bed.

Ash put a hand to his mouth and snickered. "Hmm hmm hmm... you're always on guard, Betty. Ever-astute, you are. Very well then, I'll tell you why I'm here. You're right. I AM here for selfish motives. I've come to this tournament seeking a very particular power. It's called Psycho Power. Have you heard of it?"

Elisabeth's face widened with shock. "Psycho Power? What do you want with that?!"

Ash grinned and threw his arms up with a shrug. "It just looks cool! It looks cool and I want it. Simple as that. I do hope to get matched up against that purple-haired idol... Athena, is it? Either her, or her dopey partner... though I'm not as interested in his power."

Elisabeth growled and took a step forward. "Listen to yourself! Even now, you still have learned nothing! You were granted a second chance at life, and all you want to do is go right back to preying on others?"

Ash closed his eyes and threw his arms behind his back. "What can I say? I'm a terrible person. I'm an asshole. I'm a nasty, nasty NASTY boy! It's who I am, ahahaha!"

"Well, at least he's honest." Shen Woo laughed.

Elisabeth lowered her head, eyes closed, teeth gritted. She massaged her forehead, as if Ash Crimson was a bane on her cranium and gave her horrible migraines. It was unreal, how hopeless this guy was. All of her efforts to discipline him, to protect him from himself... but he just never learns.

"Ash... when will you let me relax? When will you give me a break?" she pleaded. "Even now, during this great festival, a time of joy and friendship and good, honest sport... I still have to protect the innocent from your greed."

"Hmph. Well you don't HAVE to, Betty. You choose to be a fly in my ear." Ash shrugged. "But whatevs. We can still have some fun. I'm having fun right now! Seriously, why don't you two come shack up with us up here? We can have a slumber party!"

Duo Lon continued to say nothing; he just kept his hands behind his back and his posture upright. His face was unchanging.

"Ash, I'm really not in the mood okay?" Elisabeth growled. "I'm a little distraught right now. Once again, I'm going to have to attempt to foil your plans. My mind is never allowed to be at ease, thanks to you. Just know that."

"Noted~" Ash replied in a singsong voice. "Now... come enjoy the bubbles!"

Ash tried to entice her by igniting the tub with his flame power and making the water boil, but Elisabeth merely scoffed and walked out of the suite. Duo Lon followed behind her, saying nothing.

"Sheesh... always a stick up their bums." Ash commented after.

 **OUTSIDE THE HOTEL...**

The night was still, a deathly silence over the hotel and the surrounding premises. Kim Kaphwan was jogging laps around the parking lot, a final workout of the night to stimulate his legs before going to bed. This exercise also served to test his cardio; he wasn't sure how many times he'd have to fight tomorrow, but he wanted to make sure he had sufficient energy just in case. His highly-acrobatic style of Taekwondo required tremendous output.

The Korean hero was thought to be alone at this time of night... but little did he know, another Korean stood in the shadows, anxiously watching. Patiently he waited, the breeze blowing his long white locks as he clenched his fists. He was waiting for Kim to come back around... right into his proximity...

"KIM KAPHWAN!" he barked, his voice echoing in the night sky.

Kim immediately stopped dead in his tracks, recognizing the voice instantly. He turned to locate the source and his eyes met a familiar face: a childhood friend, and fellow master of Taekwondo.

"Jhun!" Kim exclaimed. "It's nice to see you!"

'It's nice to see you too, my old friend." Jhun Hoon greeted. "Unfortunately, I'm not here for pleasantries."

Kim approached him. "Are you fighting in the tournament? I didn't see you at the ceremony..."

Jhun shook his head. "Unfortunately, I arrived a little too late. A mistake that I intend to remedy... right here."

Kim tensed up. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?!"

Jhun ran his hand through his hair. "It's unfortunate that it has to happen this way... but there's only room for one Taekwondo master in this tournament!"

Kim clenched his fists. "You're serious about this, Jhun? You're really going to fight me?"

Jhun thrust his finger. "Don't underestimate me, Kim! I could have gone after May Lee or anybody else, but I specifically chose you. That alone should tell you how serious I am!"

Kim reached into his pants and pulled out his entry card, throwing it on the ground at their feet. "Very well then, my friend. I accept your challenge. Let's settle this right here, and the winner walks away with an entry card."

Jhun nodded, a grin on his face. "I've been looking forward to this, Kim. For too long we've butted heads over whose style and teaching method is superior. This couldn't be a more suitable place to finally decide!"

Kim bowed to his opponent before backing up and creating distance. He got into stance, Jhun doing the same as he tucked one arm behind his back like usual.

The two seasoned Taekwondo practitioners circled each other warily, aware of the other's skill and not desperate to rush in. Kim swallowed as he stared into the determined eyes of his friend and rival; so much was at stake right now, and Jhun wasn't going to hold back just because of their affiliation.

Kim was the first to lunge forward, throwing a powerful low kick at Jhun's dominant right leg. Jhun quickly raised his leg in time,and Kim's foot whizzed past it, causing Kim to have to spin his body completely around to avoid losing balance. But Kim wasn't done; as he spun back around he followed up with a high kick, which missed Jhun by mere centimeters as the white-haired fighter was able to shuffle backwards just in time.

Jhun counterattacked, responding to Kim's aggression by leaping forward with a flying kick aimed at the chest. Kim was able to raise his forearms and absorb the blow, but it still sent him backwards. Jhun didn't stop there; he kept coming forward, throwing a whipping side kick to the head which Kim swatted away with his wrist, and following up by bringing the same foot lower towards Kim's ribs, but Kaphwan was able to juke and dodge it. Jhun's leg continued to swing in a wide arc after the whiff, and he was forced to spin completely around; as he came around, he went low with a spinning kick to the knee. Luckily, Kim was able to raise his shin and check it just in time.

As Kim checked the kick, he noticed Jhun stumble; that must have hurt his foot!

Taking advantage of that precious second of lowered guard. Kim cried out with a kiai and delivered a jumping roundhouse to Jhun's face. Jhun cursed as he raised his arm to block it, but he only managed to partially absorb the blow; it still impacted against his temple and sent him stumbling backwards.

Kim's heart started beating; Jhun was on the ropes! He pushed forward, a little TOO eager... and Jhun made him pay for it.

The white-haired veteran faked Kim out, pretending to fall over... but he was actually lowering himself for a wide looping sweep kick. His entire body spun around clockwise as his foot came whizzing around and the unsuspecting Kim was forced to leave the ground in order to dodge it. But he didn't push off the ground high enough to really propel himself into the air, his left leg was still too close to the ground, in Jhun's range.

Grinning, Jhun spun around once again and came around with a devastating spinning kick which blasted Kim's left leg in mid-air. Kim's body did a complete 360 as he hit the ground with a THUD! and landed on his hip, which immediately began to flare up with pain.

Kim stifled a groan as Jhun went high in the air and came down with one of his signature deadly moves: a flying frontflip heel drop, similar to Kim's own memorable version. Kim was able to roll to the side just in time as Jhun's heel collided with the ground like a descending bomb, the power noticeable by the way it almost broke the pavement.

Jhun rolled back to his feet and Kim was able to distance himself enough to reset. The two came forward aggressive as their dominant legs met mid-swing with a simultaneous roundhouse. They continued to throw kicks with that one leg, their foot never touching the ground to reset as they exchanged high and low kicks like a sword fight.

Finally, one fighter's attack broke through as Kim went high with a spinning head kick, but Jhun went mid with a spinning kick to the stomach. Jhun won that little rock-paper-scissors match, causing Kim to fly backwards and land on his butt as he clutched his stomach in pain.

Jhun leaped into the air and tried to descend upon Kim with a heel kick, but Kim managed to roll backwards just in time, and lunge forward with a right hook to the face. Not expecting Kim to actually throw a punch, Jhun took the fist to his cheek and was stunned.

Kim went low, chopping Jhun's left leg with a powerful left kick which caused him to slightly stumble. He used his same kicking leg to propel himself into the air and kick Jhun in the chest with a flying right kick. But Kim didn't stop there; amazingly, he contorted his body in mid-air to spin around and throw a THIRD kick directly to Jhun's chin!

"Gaaaaaah!" Jhun cried as he stumbled backwards, nearly losing his footing completely. His head was spinning, after taking that shot to the face. It felt like a baseball, hitting him dead-on.

Jhun had to do something; Kim was closing in, and fast. Taking a deep breath, he tensed up and prepared to unleash his power.

"KYAAAAH!" Jhun kiai'd as he pivoted with his right hip and threw a wide arcing horizontal kick which Kim had to stop in his tracks to avoid. The kick was incredibly keen, as if it could slice the very air.

Instead of spinning around, Jhun's left leg rested in place where it stopped, demonstrating his incredible balance. He brought the leg back to his body, but kept it elevated.

Kim had seen this stance before: left leg dangling in the air, while the right leg is the foundation. This was Jhun at his most dangerous.

Kim treaded carefully, circling Jhun who merely grinned as he balanced himself on one leg effortlessly. His raised left leg continue to dangle ominously, like a razor-sharp fish hook inviting him to be caught.

Kim kiai'd and lunged forward with a high kick, but Jhun's left leg intercepted his kick like a butterfly caught in a net. Kim was thrown off balance as Jhun's left foot whipped forward and smashed him in the face, causing his world to go blurry.

Jhun grinned as he raised his left foot and brought the heel crashing down on Kim's crown, knocking him to the ground. Kim was in big trouble, but the determined Kaphwan rolled away in order to distance himself. As Kim got back to his feet, he stumbled a few times; he was on baby deer legs.

Jhun hopped towards him, still brandishing his left leg like the deadly weapon it is. Suddenly, he switched sides and brought his right leg upwards.

Kim shook his head to clear the cobwebs, just in time to notice Jhun coming forward. The white-haired fighter unleashed a spinning back kick to Kim's head, but the persistent Kaphwan shifted left to avoid it and the kick hit nothing but air.

"KYAAAH! WAAAAH!" Kim's kiais filled him with energy as he put his entire body into a left roundhouse. Because Jhun switched back to standing on his right leg after that kick, he was exposed; the kick smashed into him, sending his world in disarray as he stumbled around and was wide open for the second kick: a spinning kick to the face courtesy of Kim's other foot.

Jhun hit the ground like a sack of flour; it was the cleanest kick of the fight so far.

"Are you done now, my friend?" Kim called out. He didn't attack Jhun while he was grounded, instead opting to try and convince his opponent to quit.

But Jhun was having none of that. Despite his blurry vision, bloody nose and the swelling under his left eye, Jhun once again returned to his stance.

"Come at me again, Kaphwan! I'll knock you down!"

"Very well then!" Kim barked.

Kim charged forward with a jab, but Jhun moved his head well to avoid it. Jhun backed up, directly into Kim's kicking range, as Kaphwan started unloading on him with his right foot.

"HWAH! YAH! TAAH! HAAAH!"

Kim balanced himself on his left foot as his right foot continued to throw, still seeking a clean hit on Jhun. But Jhun bounced the kicks off his arms and moved his head enough to dodge them.

Kim finally planted his right foot on the ground and lunged to throw a high left roundhouse, but Jhun was able to duck the looping kick and Kim was forced to spin around. But Jhun wouldn't allow him the chance to reset; as he ducked, he threw a sweep kick that knocked Kim's stationary leg out from under him. Before Kim even had a chance to hit the ground, Jhun juggled him with a spinning kick to the ribs.

Kim hit the ground hard... but the pain didn't end there. He looked up and saw Jhun descending upon him like a falling meteor, heel raised. At last, Jhun was able to deliver the devastating heel strike he had sought.

"Hnnnnnngh!" Kim cried out as Jhun's heel dug into his stomach, sapping his air until his breaths burned.

Jhun gave a taunting chuckle as he rolled backwards and back to his feet.

"Get up, Kaphwan! I know you're not done yet!"

Kim was slow to get up; his breathing still hadn't returned to normal, and he could barely posture up from the rib pain. But he refused to stay down; this was HIS spot in the tournament, and he had to defend it! He refused to be the first man to lose his entry card to an outside challenger!

Kim feinted going low, causing Jhun to recoil just enough to be unable to dodge the deceptive kick which went high and struck him horizontally across the cheek. Jhun staggered, but counterattacked by lunging forward with a series of kicks. Left, right, left, right... he kept throwing them, hoping one would break through, but Kim's defense was too good.

Finally Jhun managed one, as he feinted a spinning kick to the stomach and went low to attack Kim's leg instead. His kick crashed against Kim's ankle and uprooted his foot, forcing him to lift it up in order to maintain balance. Kim threw a jab to distance him, then followed up with a switch kick. His left is the deceiver, appearing to go low, while he brings his right leg up high to connect with Jhun's face.

"Tshhh... aghh..." Jhun groans as he clutches his nose; he can't take many more of these. His nose hurts incredibly bad, and the swelling underneath his eye is starting to affect his vision.

"I'm not done Kaphwan, you hear me! I'm not done!" he spat.

With a desperate yell, Jhun shuffled forward.

"YAAAAAAH!"

Jhun threw a right front kick to Kim's stomach. Kim hunched over from the blow, but was still able to bring his arm up and dodge the left high kick Jhun followed up with. He noticed Jhun's arm was low; he wasn't focused on defense at all. He was desperate, coming forward with aggression. Kim knew that he could hit him with something big... and lethal.

"WATAAAAAH!" Kim unleashed one of the most dangerous moves in his arsenal, a flying backflip kick. Both of his feet crashed into Jhun's chin simultaneously, sending the white haired fighter to the ground hard.

As Kim landed on his feet gracefully, Jhun stood back up; but his arms were at his waist. He was barely standing, plodding forward. He was done, only standing out of pure determination.

When at last Jhun closed distance, he brought his fists up. Yes, Jhun Hoon actually used both hands for once in his life. But it would do him no good...

Kim lunged forward and unleashed a question mark kick; a deceptive kick which appears to go to the body before curving upwards and attacking the head. Jhun fell for it, hook, line and sinker; he brought his arms against his body to block, and the kick rung his bell.

"Ah... ughh..." he groaned as he stumbled around a few times... and finally collapsed to both knees.

"No more." Kim commanded. "This fight is over."

On his hands and knees, Jhun hung his head down in defeat as blood and sweat dripped. His lungs produced labored breaths as his arms wobbled, struggling to hold his body up. At last, his arms gave out and he sat back on his calves.

"Huff... huff... huff... I concede." Jhun puffed. "You've bested me, my old friend. You are the superior Taekwondo master."

"You nearly had me, my friend." Kim reassured. "A few more clean hits, and I couldn't have continued."

Jhun reached down, touching the entry card which lay on the ground. He slid the card across the pavement, until it rested at Kim's feet.

"Here. You deserve this. Make Korea proud, as you've done so many times." Jhun encouraged.

Kim bowed to his opponent and picked up the card, putting it back in his pants where it belonged. He then knelt down and extended a hand, to help his mate back to his feet.

"Will you be staying to watch?" Kim asked with a smile.

"Of course I will!" Jhun exclaimed. "I'm not leaving until I get a lock of Athena Asamiya's hair! Hahahahahahahaha!"

Kim chuckled, grateful to see Jhun in high spirits despite defeat. "Heh heh... you never change, my friend."

The action finally concluded that night, as all of the fighters were snug in their beds. They would need a good night's rest... for tomorrow, the greatest fight of their lives lie ahead.

 **I tried my very best in this chapter to give all the contestants screentime, but it's hard to do for 80 characters lol. Some of them still haven't made an appearance, much less had any speaking parts. It's not that I don't care for those characters... I just couldn't squeeze them in. In order to TRULY know all 80, you'll just have to stay tuned for the tournament.**

 **Next... Round 1 of the tournament is underway! 80 fighters will enter, but only 40 can move on to the next round. Who will advance, and who will be weeded out? Stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Tournament Begins

**Okay, now the real meat begins! Hope you enjoyed all the fluff, because from here on this is the real deal. Now, keep in mind this IS the opening round; obviously the cans are going to be weeded out. I apologize if many of these are a little predictable for you, but I did try to sprinkle in a few surprises. Hopefully you won't be bored by it; it'll only get better as the fighters are narrowed down.**

 **Without further ado, let's start the show!**

Opening day was not only as big as one could dream: it was even bigger. Grande Coloseo di Howard sold out in minutes; 80,000 people attended to witness this defining moment in fighting history. The stands were packed, the only seats left available the reserved ones for the fighters.

 **BACKSTAGE...**

"I'm so pumped for this! I missed this feeling!" Kyo exclaimed, raising his fist in the air. He was so overcome with passion that flames sprouted from his palms.

"I second that." Terry agreed. "I didn't realize how excited I was until I woke up this morning. I can't wait to step in the ring!"

As Terry was standing there, Kim casually approached from behind. When Terry turned to look at him, his face widened.

"K-Kim! You okay, man?"

Kim turned to look at him and grinned, revealing a huge swelling on his cheek. The left side of his face was so puffed up that it looked like someone stuck an air tube in his cheek.

"Never better, Bogard. Never better." he replied with a thumbs up. His voice was slightly wheezy.

The USA Team was also hyped up and ready to go... minus one.

"Hey, where's D?" Brian Battler asked.

Lucky Glauber put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in close, whispering: "I heard someone beat the shit out of him and stole his entry card."

"What?! Dammit, why does this only happen to us?!"

"You think it was that guy?" Joe inquired, nudging to the Americans and pointing towards the corner.

In the corner stood a shadowy figure, his tall, well-built frame hidden by a large black cloak. An ominous hood obstructed his identity... but there was no denying this man walked the path of the dark side. Everything about him gave off an unsettling, bone-chilling aura.

"Yeah, that's the guy. He's the one who trashed D." Duck King pointed out.

"How do you know?" Joe asked.

"I watched it happen."

"You saw it happen and you didn't help?"

"What, are you crazy man? I'm not going near that guy!" Duck King shamelessly exclaimed.

"Jeez, Duck... that's very lame of you, man." Joe facepalmed.

While Kim Kaphwan was doing a few stretches, he was approached by none other than his longtime teammate, former convict Chang Koehan. The big, burly man had his signature iron ball... and he was dressed funny.

"Heya Kim! Let's have a good, clean, honest fight today eh?" Chang boomed.

Kim turned to his teammate... and the first thing he did was look down. "Um... what the heck are you wearing?"

For some weird reason, Chang was wearing a huge brown trenchcoat over his prison uniform.

"Uhh... I'm just cold! Yeah, that. I was standing near that ice girl too long."

Kim scratched his head. "Right... so where's Choi?"

"Choi? He's, uh... not fighting."

"Not... fighting?"

"Yeah, he's not in the tournament! He didn't get an entry card!"

"...So where is he?"

"How the hell should I know? He's so small, he could be anywhere."

Kim folded his arms. "Hm... right. Well then... good luck today, Chang. Fight fair, or I'll punish you. Got it?"

Chang grinned wide. "Read ya loud and clear!"

Meanwhile, the Kyokugen fighters were all gathered for a meeting. Takuma was at the helm, addressing them all.

"Listen up, you three!" he barked. "We are the Four Horsemen of Kyokugen! The whole world is watching, so it's up to us to represent our style and bring honor to our dojo!"

Takuma flexed his muscles as he continued. "So I want all three of you to be on your game! Ryo, don't be distracted by King's perfect ass."

"D-DAD!" Ryo whined.

"And Robert... stay away from my daughter."

"H-hey!" Robert protested.

Takuma finally knelt down, petting Yuri. "And Yuri my sweet, make your papa proud. I know you can do it!"

Yuri grinned. "Thank you, papa! You be careful, too. Don't break your back or anything. I don't wanna have to take care of you for the rest of my life, or feed you through a straw or change your diapers or-"

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!" Takuma boasted. "I was fighting when the two of you were just a hard-on!"

"Thanks for that unpleasant image..." Robert groaned.

The little pep rally between the four of them was interrupted when the voice of a familiar rival called out to them.

"SAKAZAKI!"

The three of them turned. "Uhhhh... which one?"

"All of you!"

The man calling them out was Eiji Kisaragi, a ninja master and sworn rival of the Kyokugenryu School. He pointed menacingly at them, brandishing his ninja blades.

"These blades shall taste your blood! I won't rest until I wipe the Kyokugen style from existence!"

"Dude... take it easy. It's a friendly competition." Robert fired back.

"SAKAZAKI!" another voice called out; this one was female.

"Ugh, wait your turn! Someone's already calling us out!" Ryo yelled to the voice.

"I'm just here for YOU, Ryo!"

Ryo rolled his eyes and finally turned to face this voice; it was a blue-haired female, dressed in a traditional white gi and blue hakama, with a red sash. The sassy, smirking face belonged to a past rival of Ryo's: the vengeful daughter of Todoh.

"Kasumi! Nice to see you again." Ryo smiled. He extended his hand for a handshake.

Kasumi accepted his hand with a smile. "Don't be too happy to see me, Ryo. I'm ready for round 2!"

"Have you gotten better, kid?"

"Every day!" Todoh retorted with a spunky grin.

"Well, now you just gotta hope you're paired against me. Gahahahahaha!"

Todoh frowned and crossed her arms. "Hmph. Don't laugh at me, Sakazaki... I'm getting that L back! Both mine and my father's!"

At that moment, Chizuru walked through the room. Kasumi immediately turned to her and put on an angelic face.

"Miss Chizuru, may I PLEEEEEEEASE fight Ryo~?"

Chizuru patted her head. "I'm sorry Kasumi sweetie, it's not up to me. It's all random selection."

"Aw..."

Chizuru walked through the room and stood right in the middle of it. Putting her hands to her lips, she began to address them all.

"Okay, LISTEN UP! Can I have everyone's attention!"

The fighters all ceased their trash talk and mental preparation to listen to Chizuru.

"Now, all 80 of you are going to fight today so make sure you have your entry cards! There's a reserved spot for you in the stands where you can watch the fights. Now, we don't have enough locker rooms for all of you to prepare, so I'm giving you a few fights' notice before you're up. That'll give the others enough time to clear out so you can have a turn. Understand?"

They all nodded; the ones who cared to listen, anyway.

"Good. And another thing! I've stated this many times already, but I want this to be a clean competition! NO KILLING! I want you guys to hold back on your deadly attacks, because the last thing we need is someone dying on national television. Geese would pull my head off."

"Where is Geese, anyway?" Terry asked, clenching his fist.

"He's training in solitude. He doesn't want to be bothered."

"HMPH! A coward, is what he is. Too scared to face his opponents, to look them in the eye!" Krauser bellowed.

"Ay, you take that back right now mate!" Billy Kane rushed to defend his boss.

"Or what... lackey?" Krauser retorted. He postured up, attempting to intimidate Billy with his huge, muscular anatomy.

"Heh heh. Stupid meatheads, all of you." Mr. Big teased. "How about this: anyone who wants to join Big's team can come over to the winning side right now. Geese and Krauser are all brawn, no brains. I'm the only one smart enough to rule this world, capiche?"

"Dude... you should NOT be talking." Ryo pointed out. "You're probably the biggest failure of a villain out of all of em."

Mr. Big's bald head turned red with anger. "Grrrrr SHUT UP, SAKAZAKI! I don't lose, I just make tactical retreats!"

"Can we just agree that you're all idiots?" Mary chimed in with a wink.

"...Except me, right?" Yamazaki asked.

"Ryuji, where did you even... you're not an idiot, you're just insane." Mary shrugged.

"Why thank you baby! That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Chizuru sighed. "Okay... I can see you're all very busy with your bravado. Just wrap it up, the fighting starts in 10."

As the woman walked away, Billy brandished his pole towards Krauser. Laurence Blood immediately got in front of him.

"Alright you guys, cmon! Save it for the tourney, eh?" Kyo appealed.

"Well said, Kusanagi." a voice sneered.

Kyo immediately recognized it. "That you, Yagami? Where you been hiding?"

As if on cue, Iori Yagami appeared in a burst of purple flame. He scowled at Kyo, his fists raised as flames protruded longer and longer.

"I've been biding my time, preparing for the moment when I'd confront you." Yagami spat. "Well now I'm here... and I'm coming after you as soon as I finish off that little smartass."

"I just love it when people talk about me~" Ash giggled.

Kyo grinned as he let loose his own fiery aura. "I'll be waiting for you Yagami... just like always."

"ATTENTION FIGHTERS! PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE COMBAT AREA!" Chizuru's voice resonated through the speakers.

"Alright! The fun's about to begin! I'm so stoked!" Mai thrust her fist in the air, making her breasts bounce wildly.

"Let's get out there and represent!" Benimaru exclaimed.

Seth grinned as he grabbed his suspenders and yanked them, letting them snap back into place.

Vanessa shadow boxed.

Goro Daimon tightened his headband.

A glamorous pirate queen named Bonne Jenet flicked her luxurious blonde hair.

Sie Kensou scarfed down a steaming hot dumpling, to give him energy.

Ralf flexed his muscles while Clark straightened his glasses. Leona put her hair up in its usual style, indicating she was ready for combat.

K' adjusted his sunglasses, while Maxima rotated his shoulders a few times.

All of the fighters raced outside, and were met by the bright morning sun and a roar of applause. All around them, a sea of spectators screamed and cheered their names. A gigantic TV screen was emblazoned in the sky, which read:

 **"KING OF FIGHTERS: ULTIMATE GRAND DREAM KUMITE"**

"This... is awesome." Yuri whispered to Robert.

"This is the perfect stage to shine on~!" Athena exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

"I'm so nervous! So many people!" Kula squealed.

"This is where my legacy shall rise again..." Krauser declared, clenching his fist.

As the 79 of them headed towards the combat zone, Geese was already out there with Chizuru. He was shirtless, exhibiting the scars of hundreds of deadly battles. He was clad in his red hakama, with golden phoenixes plastered on them: a testament to the rebirth of his fighting spirit, perhaps?

As soon as Terry saw his slicked back blonde hair, blue eyes, and that smirk, he mean-mugged his arch nemesis as hard as his good heart would allow. Though he had matured at this stage of his life and didn't wish death on anyone... Geese was still an unpleasant sight for him. At the end of the day, the man was still responsible for the death of Terry's father. While the pure-hearted Terry refused to seek bloody vengeance... he would never forgive Geese for his crimes.

Geese merely stared back at him, arms folded, indifferent to however Terry may feel about him. He cared nothing about his own past transgressions or the kind of person he's been up to this point; this tournament was a time for him to forget these things, and only focus on the purity of combat. Everything was out of his mind, past and present: this competition was all he cared about.

"You okay, bro?" Andy whispered to Terry.

"Yeah..."

"I'm not happy to see him either... but he's just here to compete. So are we." Andy reassured.

"I know. I... I know." Terry hung his head down.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ARE LIVE! In just a few minutes, the tournament will begin! Now, INTRODUCING... THE COMPETITORS!" Chizuru boomed into the microphone.

The fighters all put on their prettiest faces and stuck their flashiest poses...with the exception of a few stoic characters. People like Elisabeth, Duo Lon, Lin, Eiji, Krauser, and the mysterious purple cloaked woman and giant black cloaked man weren't exactly hamming it up for the crowd. They just stood there, the usual sour look on their faces.

A few minutes passed as the fighters got comfy in the stands, preparing to watch and perhaps study future opponents. Several of the fighters received a notice that they would be up soon, and so they left the arena to head back to the locker rooms. As for the rest of them... it was time to get comfy. They'd be here for a while.

"Now, before we get started ladies and gentlemen, I just want to run a few formalities past you." Chizuru explained. "First of all, this is a single-elimination contest! 80 fighters will compete, and only 40 will move on to the next round. Round 2 will consist of 20 battles, and only 20 will advance. Round 3 will narrow it down to 10. Round 4 will determine the final 5. When we get to the final 5... I have a little surprise."

Chizuru thrust two fingers in the air "Secondly! This tournament will last the entire week, so don't lose your tickets! If you lose your ticket, you'll have to pay to enter the Coliseum a second time!"

Chizuru added a finger. "THIRDLY! I want you all to have a great time, and enjoy a good, healthy fighting tournament! These fighters are all putting on their best performance for you, so to all in attendance, and all those watching on TV around the world... get a cold drink, grab some snacks, and cheer on your favorite fighters!"

She paused for applause, smiling as the roaring reception lifted her spirits, and set her heart ablaze. For just a moment, Chizuru Kagura wished SHE was fighting in the competition... but it was a tough burden, being the host. Someone had to make that sacrifice, and it had to be her. At least she would be living vicariously though the fighters, as they all put their souls on the line and gave it everything they've got.

"NOW... LET THE TOURNAMENT BEGIN!"

"I can't wait for this. I wonder who's first!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Look, the first two are coming out now!" Ai pointed.

"Hey, you turned off your videogame for once."

"Duh! You seriously think I'd miss this?!"

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #1: BILLY KANE VS JANNE D'ARC**

From the left side emerged Billy Kane, his jacket shed. He was wearing a blue tanktop with the Union Jack emblazoned on the back, as well as leather pants and boots. Of course, he had his signature bandana... and at his side was his faithful companion: his trusty red pole.

From the right side emerged an unfamiliar woman: she appeared to be French, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. The strangest thing about her was her attire: she was clad in an iron breastplate, greaves, and gauntlets. In her hand was a bastard sword, about 30 inches in length. Just like Billy, she appeared to not use her fists.

"H-hey, is she holding a sword? Who let her have a sword?!" Chizuru pondered aloud. Already, she began to sweat as the horrific image of a fatality coursed through her mind. All she could do was close her eyes and pray that nothing gruesome would occur...

"What is up with this girl? She looks like she came from a Renaissance Fair!' Ralf stated.

The two fighters met in the center of the ring: a giant quadrilateral square with no ropes or cage. It was just a wide-open area with no obstructions for good, clean, equal footing. This was the perfect place for fighters to fully utilize their bodies without having to worry about their surroundings.

"Welcome to the 21st century, love." Billy Kane teased as he twirled his staff above his head before finally planting it next to him.

Janne's face was fierce as she brandished her sword. "You don't look too strong... are you worthy of selection?"

"...Selection? Eh?"

 **FIGHT!**

Janne charged forward aggressively, clutching her sword with two hands as she delivered an overhead swing. Billy raised his staff horizontally with both hands to stop the blade, as it impacted with a CLANG!

Billy sharply turned his staff right, redirecting her blade in that direction and causing her to stumble. He spun around fluidly and came back around with a backhanded swing, but Janne held her sword up vertical and stopped it. She shoved his staff downward with her blade and came back up with a vicious upwards slash, but Billy planted his staff on the ground and used it to vault backwards to safety. He landed on his feet gracefully, a few feet away from his opponent.

"KYAAAH!" Billy kiai'd as he lunged and thrust his staff forward. The staff broke apart into multiple chain-link sections, extending its range so that it could reach Janne. But the French girl sidestepped and sprinted forward to close distance on Billy, who was wide open.

Billy hissed as he quickly retracted his staff to it's solid form. He twirled his staff in both hands, spinning around one time to gain momentum as he prepared to intercept Janne's blade.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Janne relentlessly swung at him, but he parried her strikes effortlessly. With precise hand movements he was able to bounce her blade off the left and right ends of his staff and use his leverage to redirect her where he wished her to go. He was in control.

Janne leaped into the air and came down on him with a tremendous overhead swing. Her sword struck dead center of Billy's staff; he merely smiled as his staff broke apart into links once again.

"HA!" with a cackle he twisted his staff and crossed the ends, trapping her blade in the middle. Immobilized, Janne was helpless as Billy delivered a boot to her stomach that sent her flying backwards without her sword.

Billy pulled both ends of his lanky staff to straighten it back out, causing Janne's sword to fly through the air until it hit the floor with a clatter.

"Want your little prop back, love? Come and get it!" Billy taunted.

Janne fearlessly charged at him, a battle cry escaping her lungs. Billy charged at her and spun around, attempting a wide sweep across the ground. Janne somersaulted over his staff and barrel rolled over to her sword, which she snatched up in her hands. She was armed once again.

The Frenchwoman lunged forward, switching to a one-handed fencing style. She began to assault Billy with several thrusting strikes, attempting to negate the defense his long weapon provides.

Billy backpedaled, but he anticipated an incoming thrust and swatted her blade out of the way with a horizontal stroke. Billy spun around and thrust his staff into her stomach, stunning her. He then twisted back the other way and delivered a clean hit to her forehead.

"Oooof! That had to hurt." Shen Woo winced. "I wonder if his staff is made of wood or some type of metal. I bet metal would hurt like HELL!"

Janne stood back up, a huge red welt on her forehead where the end of the pole hit. But she was unfazed; twirling her blade rapidly in her hand, she closed distance on Billy and swung at him with one hand. Billy stopped her blade with the left end of his staff, then shoved it to the right causing her to stumble in that direction. With a chuckle, he twirled his staff and smacked her in the back with the right end, making her fall to her knees.

"GO DOWN!" Billy barked as he spun his pole overhead like a helicopter propeller and then unleashed a powerful down thrust that laid her down the rest of the way.

"AGHHHHH!" she cried out in pain as the end of the staff collided with her back.

"YAAAAHAAAAA!" Billy cried as he vaulted himself up into the air, then came down on her with a nasty overhead swing.

Janne rolled to the side to avoid the thunderous impact, quickly rising to her feet and distancing herself.

"EAT THIS! FIRE!" Janne called out her attack as she swung her sword, unleashing a fiery aura that took the form of flaming birds.

The birds soared towards Billy like homing missiles, but he grinned and merely spun his staff rapidly with both hands. He twirled it fast and hard, with the force of a motorboat rotor. The intense vacuum it created snuffed out the flame projectiles as soon as they hit.

"Better luck next time, sweetheart." Billy taunted as he charged forward.

Billy showed off his extensive staff-twirling skills, spinning it rapidly in his right hand before effortlessly switching hands. He even brought it around his back and switched hands once again, then let go of the rapidly spinning staff and allowed it to glide across his back returning to the other hand.

Billy closed distance on her and spun around, switching hands and coming upwards with a vertical strike. The staff cracked her in the chin, sending her stumbling back on wobbly legs.

Billy didn't stop there. He spun around and went low, blasting her in the knee and making her buckle immediately. He lunged forward, holding the staff horizontal in both hands, and bashed her in the face with the middle of it.

Janne was on wobbly legs, her vision blurry... she was running out of ideas. Luckily, she did have one ace up her sleeve yet to be revealed.

SWOOSH!

Billy was sent stumbling backwards as Janne's blade came whooshing forward, a mere inch away from cutting him.

"What the hell...?!"

Janne cackled as she held her sword, the blade no longer rigid. It was loose and flexible, connected by several links, just like Billy's staff. She swung it left and right menacingly, the blade swishing through the air like a chain.

"What? You thought your weapon was the only one that was versatile?" Janne taunted.

Billy gritted his teeth. "Fat lot of good it'll do ya!"

Kane tried to close distance, but Janne whipped her blade forward. The tip of it struck his cheek, opening a cut which began to drizzle red.

"Shit..." he cursed. Janne stepped forward , whipping her sword left and right threateningly. She swung it around her head a few times before letting the momentum carry it forward.

"G-gah!" Billy hissed as he sidestepped and smacked the blade out of mid-flight, like swatting a dangerous insect.

But Janne's attack continued; she yanked the sword the other way, causing the blade to shoot back upwards and towards Billy in the opposite direction. Billy raised his staff and the blade collided with it, wrapping around it several times until it got stuck. This seemed to trouble Janne, as she tried to tug on the blade a few times and it failed to pull free. A menacing grin crept on Billy's face... the odds were in his favor once again.

Much like one would twirl a fork to capture spaghetti, Billy Kane proceeded to rotate his staff rapidly. Every time he twisted it, Janne's snake-like weapon would become more and more coiled around his stick. The strain was against her, threatening to yank the weapon from her grasp unless she thought fast.

"Ngh! Ahh! RETURN!" Janne commanded. Abruptly, her sword went rigid again as it swiftly unwrapped itself from Billy's weapon and returned to its normal form.

Unfortunately for her, Billy Kane didn't wait for her to recover. As soon as Janne looked up, she came face to face with the tip of Billy's staff striking her between the eyes.

"Ungh!" Janne squealed as her vision blackened; she dropped her sword and clutched her face in pain.

"Let ME show you how it's done!" Billy taunted as his staff changed to loose form. He swung it around his head as he spun his body around and let the flexible weapon fly forward. The chain-linked staff whizzed towards her legs and struck her calf, knocking her off her feet with a single blow. Janne hit the ground, landing on her back hard with a whimper of pain.

Billy snatched her up and wrapped the loose links around her neck, pulling backwards just enough to cause an uncomfortable strain on her breathing.

"Ahk! Aghh! Uhk! Ahhk!" Janne gasped as the weapon uncomfortably squeezed against her neck, not hard enough to completely stop her breathing... but enough to put her in anguish.

"Tap out, love. I'll make the pain go away." Billy enticed as he continued to moderately strangle the Frenchwoman.

"Agh! AGH! I give! I GIVE!" Janne tapped out desperately.

With a smile, Billy loosened the chokehold and allowed her to collapse to the floor. She gasped and wheezed as her precious breath came back to her lungs.

 **WINNER: BILLY KANE**

"Jesus, Billy is as merciless as ever." Andy shook his head.

"Bro... I think that WAS Billy being merciful." Terry argued.

As Janne recovered from the beatdown, Billy extended a hand to help her up. The Frenchwoman accepted this kind gesture with a smile.

"That's a pretty cool weapon you got there, darl." Billy complimented.

"Thank you." Janne bowed. "Um, hey... can I ask you a question mister?"

"Sure."

"Will you marry me?"

"WHAT?!"

As soon as the first fight was over and the combat area was vacant, Chizuru moved right on into the next bout.

"What an opener to the tournament, eh folks? Let's keep the train rolling!"

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #2: HWA JAI VS SHURA**

Hwa Jai was the first to walk out, wearing his classic purple trunks. He was also clad in his traditional headband and armbands, as a sign of devotion to Muay Thai culture. As he arrived to the center of the stage, he got down on his hands and knees and bowed twice.

"Hey Joe, Hwa Jai's lookin pretty good lately. You guys been training together?" Terry asked.

"Yeah, me and him are pretty tight nowadays." Joe replied.

"Does he still drink that nasty shit to give him an edge?" Kyo asked.

"Oh yes, he loves his power juice."

"Disgusting!"

From the other end, Shura finally emerged. He appeared to be a Muay Thai boxer just like Hwa Jai, wearing orange trunks. He also wore a headband and arm bands, as per tradition. His feet were wrapped, just like Hwa Jai's; however, unlike his opponent, Shura was wearing Thai boxing gloves.

"Whoa...hey Joe, do you know that guy?" Kim asked, pointing to him.

"No... never seen him before in my life." Joe shook his head, unaware that this guy was not even from their current time.

Shura got on his knees, put his hands together and bowed. He did this four times, in all four directions, before finally getting back to his feet.

"This should be an interesting one... let's see if Hwa Jai's got what it takes to handle this dude." Andy stated.

"He better! Otherwise, he'll make me look bad!" Joe grumbled.

 **FIGHT!**

Hwa Jai and Shura circled each other, light on their dominant foot. They kept their fists raised high. Everyone held their breath as they anticipated who would move first.

Shura led the dance, coming forward with a sharp kick to the body. Hwa Jai brought his forearms against his stomach and absorbed the blow. As Shura drew his leg back, Hwa Jai took advantage of that precious millisecond and countered with a low kick. His shin crashed into Shura's leg, but failed to shake his foundation.

Shura kiai'd as he came forward with a one-two to the body. Hwa Jai blocked the shots, and Shura unleashed another combination, the second punch going high instead. Hwa Jai managed to raise his forearm in time to partially absorb it, but it still made him backpedal directly into Shura's kicking range. Shura immediately started lighting him up with powerful kicks to the body, sometimes going high to the head.

Hwa Jai blocked the head shots but took one or two full-force to the ribs, hurting him; he quickly closed distance on Shura and clinched with him, interlacing his fingers around the back of Shura's head to keep their bodies close.

The two of them danced around in circles a few times, Hwa Jai securing him tight in the Plum Clinch. They exchanged knees to the body, but Hwa Jai's ribs were still hurt. A few of Shura's knees crashed into his damaged area... and it caused him to buckle.

"Oh shit, he's hurt!" Joe cried out.

Shura started pouring it on, drawing his arm back and smashing Hwa Jai's nose repeatedly with forward elbow strikes. Each elbow snapped his head back, until the bald fighter was forced to break the clinch and stagger backwards. As he attempted to distance himself, Hwa Jai took the full force of a snapping head kick to his dome.

"Aghhh!" he cried out as he hit the ground. Shura was tearing him apart right now, and he was embarassing Joe to death.

"COME ON, HWA JAI! GET UP!" Joe commanded.

Despite his blurry vision and rib pain, Hwa Jai willed himself back to his feet. He put up his fists, just in time to receive a push kick to his chin. Hwa Jai stumbled backwards as Shura closed in on him and began raining hard punches to his body. Left, right, left, right... Shura was tearing his body up with wild swings, each one like a baseball bat to Hwa Jai's sides.

As effective as Shura's onslaught was... he was gassing himself hard. Hwa Jai sensed his punches slowing down, his arms getting tired... if he counter-attacked right now, Shura wouldn't be able to block it!

With a burst of energy, Hwa Jai quickly seized Shura's head with the Plum Clinch and jerked it downwards with all his might. Shura's head connected clean with a perfectly-timed knee, busting him in the chin and scrambling his head.

Hwa Jai followed up with another knee... and another... he held Shura's head tight as he battered his face with knee strikes. It took all of Shura's desperation to shove him away and end the onslaught. When the two of them were apart, Shura was so wobbly that he collapsed to his knees.

"YEEEEEAH! Way to put him on the ropes!" Joe cheered.

Shura got back to his feet, wearing some makeup; his right eye was swelling, and his eyebrow was cut and bleeding profusely into his left eye. No doubt, vision would be a problem for him.

Hwa Jai threw a lighting-swift leg kick, to the same leg as before. He followed up with another; this second one buckled Shura's knee and made him drop. Shura quickly rose back up and came forward with an uppercut, which managed to touch Hwa Jai's chin and sent him backwards a little.

Shura's fist glowed with his fiery chi as he zoomed forward and struck Hwa Jai directly in the stomach, the enhanced power punch causing his opponent to fold like a chair and hit the ground facefirst.

"DAMN! What a punch that was!" Terry exclaimed.

Hwa Jai coughed and wheezed as he struggled to get back up. He was in tremendous pain; it was time to use his ace in the hole. This was the only trump card he had; now was the time to use it.

To Shura's surprise, Hwa Jai reached into his shorts and pulled out a glass bottle. Popping the top off, Hwa Jai downed the contents of the bottle with a few powerful gulps.

"Hnnngh... yes... YES! HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Hwa Jai's veins bulged, his muscles grew; his skin turned crimson red as he crushed the glass bottle in his grasp.

"I-Impossible! D-did you take steroids?!" Shura accused.

"HOW DARE YOU! It's all natural, baby!" Hwa Jai fired back.

Hwa Jai charged forward and started unleashing hell on Shura. Left, right, left, a kick to the body to follow up. Shura backpedaled, but he took a one-two to the face that stumbled him. Hwa Jai followed up with a low kick to Shura's damaged leg, buckling him. As Shura staggered, Hwa Jai lunged forward with a knee to his solar plexus. Shura fell down and had to somersault backwards to safety, but as soon as he was up to his feet... his death warrant was signed.

"DRAGON KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!"

Hwa Jai's body coursed with violent red chi, taking the shape of deadly dragon fangs as he obliterated Shura's chin with a flying attack that sent his opponent tumbling through the air several yards. When Shura finally hit the ground, he was out like a light.

 **WINNER: HWA JAI**

"YEEEAH!" Hwa Jai cheered as the audience applauded his victory. The first thing the victorious fighter did was turn directly to the stands and point to Joe.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU NEXT, JOE HIGASHI! YOU BETTER BE READY, PAL!"

"Daaamn Joe... I think that helped Hwa Jai's confidence a little." Terry laughed. "He wants to jack you up, buddy."

"His chrome dome is getting a little too big." Joe sneered. "I guess I'll have to remind him of his place in the next round."

 **Next chapter: Boxers trade fisticuffs! Two jocks throw down, and only one will walk away the MVP!**

 **A woman who once learned the hard way that life is morally gray finally has the chance to get even with the man who led her down a rocky path!**

 **Don't worry; now that we're past the formalities, there will be more fights per chapter. Maybe there won't be a set number of fights per chapter, but I do expect to get into a nice rhythm. I don't want to drag this on FOREVER lol. Welp, that's about it. Please review, I love that! Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5: Opening Round, pt 1

**Okay, allow me to be a little more clear on something. Rock Howard is NOT in this fic. I don't care about him at all, plus I don't want Garou characters co-existing with Geese. Bonne Jenet is the only Garou character in this fic, which is already breaking the rules lol. But give me a break, eh? It's King of Fighters xD**

 **Enjoy the action.**

 **IN THE STANDS...**

Diana, Foxy and Candy were all sitting together; since they weren't registered competitors, they were unable to join Kula down with the other fighters.

"I wonder who she'll be paired up with..." Foxy pondered.

"Whoever it is, they should be no match for her ice powers." Diana reassured.

"But what if she has to fight Kyo, or Iori, or-"

"What are the odds? There's 80 fighters, for pete's sake! Her first opponent at least should be easy..."

As Diana and Foxy continued to swap analysis, a figure approached them. They didn't notice she had appeared until a shadow loomed over them; turning their heads, their jaws immediately dropped upon seeing her.

"Heeeeey~"

"Wh-what are you doing here?! G-get the hell away from me!" Foxy immediately got defensive.

The girl was dressed in a heavily revealing black shirt, with some strange black chaps with little underneath to cover up her backside. She had snow white hair and irises as black as charcoal. This sexy, yet malicious young lady was not a pleasant face: ESPECIALLY for Foxy.

"Hey now! Why so hostile?" Angel stuck out her tongue playfully.

"You tried to kill me!" Foxy spat.

"Aw cmon now, that's ancient history. NESTS has been toast for, like, ever!" Angel defended.

"What do you want with us?" Diana asked, her hand creeping towards her sword.

"I'm just here to root for Kula, just like you. Can I sit with you guys~?" Angel pleaded. She put her hands together and batted her eyelashes.

"Since when do you care about Kula?"

Angel took a step back, raising her hands. "Heeeey don't be like that. I care about the little cutie. I wanna see her do well!"

Angel leaned in close, putting on some adorable puppy eyes. "Cmon, pleeeeease? I won't do anything naughty, I swear. Unless you want me to~"

Diana and Foxy looked at each other; Foxy immediately shook her head. Diana sighed and turned back to Angel, who was grinning awkwardly.

"...You can sit with us. BUT... don't sit next to Foxy."

"Deal~!"

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #3: VANESSA VS MICKEY ROGERS**

Vanessa was already out there. Patiently she awaited her opponent as she shadow boxed in place, practicing her head movement and cutting angles. She had no idea who her opponent was, but there was a good chance she was at a disadvantage. Vanessa was one of few fighters who fought all-natural, with no supernatural aura or chi or technology to help her. All she had were her own fists; the only two weapons she ever needed.

"TSH TSH!" she controlled her breathing, letting out sharp hisses with each punch to strengthen her blows and maintain her cardio. Breathing was one of the most important aspects of striking, both in generating power and conserving one's gas tank.

At last, she heard the audience increase in volume as her opponent walked out. He was a dark-skinned fellow with short black hair, and noticeably tall. As he approached Vanessa's vicinity, her head gradually started to tilt upwards as she struggled to reach eye level with him. This guy was a tower!

"Holy shit, look at this guy! He's got tree trunks for legs!" Ramon exclaimed.

"Vanessa is the finest boxer I've ever seen... but my eyes haven't seen everything." Seth noted, a hand on his chin as his astute eyes carefully observed this bout.

The man finally stopped in front of Vanessa, a grin on his face as he extended his taped hands for a glove touch.

"Mickey Rogers... I used to watch you on TV." Vanessa smiled, extending her fists to meet his. "You were a huge inspiration for me."

Mickey lowered his head, a solemn expression on his face. "I guess not anymore, huh?"

Vanessa folded her arms. "We all go to a dark place in our lives, sir. I won't judge. And besides... I don't care what the tabloids said. I always knew in my heart you didn't do it on purpose."

Mickey poked his head up, the light back in his face. "Heh! It feels nice to know someone still believes in me! To whom do I have the pleasure of fighting?"

Vanessa smiled as she nodded to him. "I'm Vanessa. Boxer, wife, mother... and lots of other things."

Mickey smiled as he raised his fists. "Alright then, Mrs. Vanessa... let's do this by the book."

Vanessa put up her dukes as well. "I couldn't ask for more than that."

 **FIGHT!**

The two of them danced around a circle, constantly feinting and keeping their heads on a swivel. Foot movement was paramount in this showdown of boxing might; especially for Vanessa, who had an obvious reach disadvantage.

Mickey pressed forward, throwing lazy right-handed jabs to gauge distance. Vanessa moved her head well to avoid most of them, but a couple managed to touch her arms. She grit her teeth as she waited... anticipated...

Mickey threw one more jab; that's when Vanessa made the first move.

"HNNF!" she lunged forward and unleashed a 1-2-3, the first two punches going high and the third one to the body. But they were ineffective, as Mickey's guard was too strong.

Vanessa circled to the left and feinted a right hand, then went over the top with an overhand left. Mickey put his hand to his ear to absorb it, but the impact still backed him up. Vanessa tried to push the pace, closing distance to negate his reach advantage... but she didn't get past the danger zone in time.

"UNNNGH!" Vanessa grunted as Mickey threw a mean right to her stomach, stunning her in her tracks. That forced Vanessa to back up, and Mickey pressed forward and started putting it on her. He started pounding her body with straight combinations, mixing his strikes well between mid and high. His superior arms were able to easily reach her, and Vanessa couldn't backpedal enough to get away.

Vanessa blocked a 1-2 to the body, then quickly swayed her head to avoid a straight right. As Mickey was closing in, she countered with an uppercut that hit him dead on the button. That blow was like hitting the pause button on a remote, as Mickey's advance was immediately halted.

"NICE HIT, VANESSA! YOU GOT THIS BABY!" Ramon cheered.

Vanessa ripped his body with a left, then came up high with a right hook that snapped his head sideways. Mickey was visibly damaged by this, as he stumbled backwards. Vanessa closed in on him, but the veteran boxer knew how to stop an aggressive opponent.

Mickey reached out and grabbed her, pulling her body close to his and locking his hands tight around her back. Vanessa was powerless against his superior strength, and she was forced to remain in his clinch as she struggled side to side as if in a straitjacket. Since this wasn't a traditional boxing match, there was no referee to break them up; Mickey could do this as long as he wanted.

"Cmon Vanessa, get out of there... you've got other things besides your hands you know..." Seth muttered.

Vanessa continued to struggle against him for minutes. He was just holding her, wasting time, allowing his head to recover... or maybe he was trying to tire her out?

At last, Mickey's strategy was revealed when he let go of Vanessa and shoved her backwards.

"BURNIIIIING UPPERRRRR!"

Vanessa was too tired from the struggle and completely caught off guard; she was unable to avoid the bright, crescent-shaped energy projectile as it soared into her and knocked her off her feet.

"Aghhhhh...!"

"Vanessa, NOOOO!" Ramon cried.

"Damn, she's in a pickle..." Seth added.

Though hurt by the projectile, Vanessa was far from finished. She got back to her feet and closed distance.

"BURNING UPPER! BURNING UPPER!" Mickey tried to zone her out with several more, but she used her agility to avoid them. With each projectile Mickey launched, his fatigue grew; it used up a lot of power.

But Mickey merely grinned; she only knew about that one. He had another one up his sleeve... it would be a tremendous use of his energy, but he could definitely nail her with it. Just a little closer... NOW!

"ROLLING UPPER!"

Mickey launched another one; this time it sent a powerful shockwave along the ground. It soared towards Vanessa, preparing to take out her feet...

But Vanessa had other plans.

"WHAT?" Mickey gasped as Vanessa leaped over his ground attack and decked him in the face with a flying Superman punch. Mickey's legs gave out and he hit the ground like a severed tree.

"ATTAGIRL VANESSA! That'll teach him to use cheap-ass projectiles!" Ramon cheered.

"Maybe now he'll stick to using his fists, and cut that cheap crap out." Seth nodded.

Mickey got up to his feet quickly, but he still stumbled a few times; his head was rattled. He quickly put his arms up to block Vanessa's incoming assault, as she began unleashing a volley of head and body shots on him. She mixed them up well: three to the body, two to the head, a left to the ribs, an overhand right, a 1-2 to the stomach, quickly going back to the head with an uppercut... Mickey couldn't block them all. Many of Vanessa's punches broke through his defense and rang true, backing the veteran boxer up and putting him on eggshells.

Mickey quickly extended his left arm to her forehead to keep her at range. But that wasn't the only purpose it served; he was also setting her up for a right uppercut.

BAM!

Vanessa fell victim to Mickey's reach advantage once again, as she was stopped dead in her tracks by a vicious right that made her fall to her knees. She quickly rose back up, but received a straight left to the eye followed by a right hook that wobbled her.

"Get out of there! GET OUT!" Seth barked.

Mickey stepped forward with a powerful overhand right, but Vanessa ducked under it and pressed herself against him. She was hurt, heaving... but she refused to quit.

Her body against his, she began tearing up his ribs with short range dirty boxing.

"HYAH! HYAAH! HYAAH!" she kiai'd with each hit as her fists connected with his ribcage and backed him up with each hit. Mickey tried to push her away, but that gave her more arm room and she cracked his chin with two uppercuts.

"GO VANESSA GO! FINISH HIM!" Ramon cheered.

Badly wobbled, Mickey attempted a desperate swing, but Vanessa sidestepped and hit him hard to the body with a left, then connected behind his ear with a stiff right. Mickey fell to his hands and knees, but jumped up quickly. He stumbled forward and swung wildly on her, but Vanessa bounced his shots off her forearms and patiently waited for an opening...

Finally, the ideal piece fit into place. Mickey threw a looping hook that bounced off of Vanessa's shoulder; she drew her left arm back, like cocking a gun... and let loose a straight left from hell.

POWWWWWW!

Mickey's feet didn't just leave the ground; he went flying a couple feet before his body made a loud THUD on the arena floor. He didn't get back up.

 **WINNER: VANESSA**

With a smile, Vanessa turned to wave to the crowd. Her right eye was starting to swell big time; in a few minutes, it would probably close completely.

"YOU'RE THE BEST, VANESSA! I FREAKING LOVE YOU!" Ramon was bouncing up and down from the sheer excitement of seeing his unrequited love knock out a once-famous boxing champion.

"She did it... I was actually worried about her. Heh. How foolish of me." Seth shook his head with a smile.

Vanessa approached her fallen opponent and knelt down, tenderly taking his hand as a sign of respect. She didn't stick around though, as officials were still trying to take care of him. Deciding it would be more appropriate to leave him be, Vanessa headed back to the locker room to wash up and celebrate her victory.

From the other side of the stands, Mr. Big sat with his leg draped over his knee. He was smirking as he smoked a cigar.

"Mickey Rogers... hmph! What an incompetent fool you are. To think I once allowed you to work for me. HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

In the midst of his evil laugh... Mr. Big suddenly received a notice. With a sigh, he put out his cigar and rose to his feet, dusting off his fancy mink coat.

"To fight this early... ugh. But, I guess I might as well get it out of the way now so I can enjoy some time off! HEH HEH HEH!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stands, King was freaking out.

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god... Ryo..."

"What's wrong? What you so worked up about?"

King pointed. "Is that Mr. Big headed to the locker room?!"

"...Yeah. So?"

"SO... I just got a notice too! That m-means..."

Ryo put two and two together. NOW he knew what King was on about. For her, Mr. Big brought back very, very bad memories. He was the man who made her walk a reluctant path of crime, serving as one of his goons. In his employ, she was degraded, humiliated, made to feel like less of a person... the day Ryo got her out of that life was the day she was forever a woman liberated.

But now, she would have to confront her old boss... at last, the chance for ultimate closure would come.

"Cmon King, it might not be him. It could be someone else who already went back there." Ryo tried to reassure.

"No... it's definitely Big. I can feel it. Don't underestimate a woman's intuition." King replied solemnly.

"Okay then. Well so what? Big is just all talk. You're a much stronger person!" Ryo encouraged.

King closed her eyes. "I-I'm just scared that he... m-might still have a hold on me. Psychologically. I'm not playing, Ryo. You don't know what it was like, working for him..."

Ryo had no consoling words. It was true; he DIDN'T know what it was like. But King did. She was right; this would be a tough task for her to overcome, not just physically.

With a sigh, Ryo grabbed King and hugged her tight. He brushed her hair back and gave a gentle kiss to her temple before letting her go back to the locker rooms.

"I-I don't want to be alone. Can't you come with me?" King whimpered.

Ryo shook his head. "You know I can't."

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #4: BRIAN BATTLER VS JOHNNY MAXIMUM**

Meanwhile, the fourth bout was already underway. Brian Battler was face-to-face with another football player: one with an ominous dark face and blood-red glowy eyes to offset his red and yellow uniform. The two of them were currently in a fierce entanglement, exerting massive strength in an effort to take each other down to the ground. Brian had him by the waist, but J. Max was repelling his advance with two underhooks. This basically put them at a stalemate, as Brian was unable to complete the takedown with his arms being fought off.

"HNNNNNNGH! What team did you play for, anyway?!" Brian grunted as he continued to exert himself. He was pushing J. Max back, but still the sinister-looking football player stood firm.

"I played for the best. That's all you need to know, little man." J. Max retorted as he continued to fight back.

"Oh yeah?! Well obviously you never heard of my old VARSITY TEAM!"

With a burst of strength, Brian fought off the underhooks and sank his arms around J. Max's waist. Lifting with all his might, Brian charged forward and slammed his opponent hard.

"Ooof! I think I felt the Earth move on that one." Benimaru teased.

J. Max shoved Brian off of him and quickly got back to his feet. He tried to throw an overhand right, but Brian dipped down and scooped him up by the legs.

"RRRRRRAGH!" Brian leaped into the air and descended upon the ground, slamming J. Max even harder than before. His yellow helmet actually cracked in several places from the impact.

J. Max fought him off and got back to his feet again, this time creating some distance with a "punt kick" to the stomach. As soon as the bloodthirsty athlete was far enough away, he unleashed a blue, football-shaped energy projectile. The projectile soared and struck Brian directly in the face, knocking him down.

"Agh!"

Brian leaped back to his feet, and another football projectile soared towards him. With a grin, he extended his hands.

"INTERCEPTED!" he boasted as he caught the deadly football before it could hit. He then proceeded to draw back his arm and unleash a perfect spiral, sending the energy football smashing into J. Max's face.

The brutal Max was slow to get up, but he managed to get some momentum going before Brian could close distance. As the two of them sprinted towards each other with a battle cry, J. Max suddenly dived headfirst. His helmet-clad head plowed directly into Brian's left knee, sending Brian into an unpleasant tumble as he hit the ground in pain.

"AGHH! DAMN YOU! DIRTY! LOW HIT! AGHHH! I'M GONNA FLAG YOUR ASS!" Brian howled in pain as he clutched his knee.

J. Max tried to close distance and punish him... but Brian was pissed off. If Max was gonna play dirty, so was he.

With an evil smirk, Brian leaped up and grabbed his facemask, jerking him forward into a headbutt. The force of Brian's cranium broke the helmet in several places, but not completely. His shadowy face still couldn't be revealed.

J. Max was badly dazed from this as he stumbled backwards, attempting to regain himself. But he would never have the chance, as Brian came zooming forward with his shoulder extended.

"Let me show you how to play defense!" Brian taunted as he plowed directly into J. Max's face with a shoulder charge, knocking the opponent on his ass like a semi truck hitting a bag of garbage.

"Ugh... aghhhh..." J. Max groaned as he fell backwards and his head hit the ground. Just like that, his game was over; he was benched, indefinitely.

 **WINNER: BRIAN BATTLER**

"It must feel special for the USA guys to get another win at this point of their career." Kyo pointed out.

"I see what you mean." Benimaru agreed. "Not to disrespect them, but... the USA Team has had it rough in King of Fighters, haha. For Brian to finally have this second chance, and then come back and make the most of it... dude must feel like cloud nine."

"Even if he loses his next fight, I'm certain Brian Battler must be infinitely happy just to make it this far." Goro nodded.

"Yeah, he made it further than others. Poor D..."

Meanwhile, in the locker rooms, King could only stare at herself in a mirror as the anxiety and nerves overcame her senses. She was incapable of moving, incapable of looking away from her own terrified reflection. Confronting Mr. Big again was reliving a horrible, terrifying part of her life... a part she wished to move on from forever. Right now, she felt not ready; when the time comes and she has to walk out there... would she have the courage to even stand before him?

As King was standing there, Vanessa emerged from the showers with a sopping wet head of red hair. She was topless, but had a towel over her shoulders to cover up her chest. When she noticed King, she decided to go over there and chat with her, blissfully unaware of the horrific trauma King was enduring at the moment.

"Hey, King. You fighting next?"

King turned to face her for only a second; Vanessa could see her body trembling before the blonde quickly looked away.

"H-hey... you okay, King?" Vanessa asked, finally realizing something was wrong.

"I... I have to fight Mr. Big next." King's soft voice replied.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "Huh. Wow. You uh... scared?"

King looked down, closing her eyes. "You have no idea."

Vanessa could see in her eyes how afraid King was right now... a different, abnormal fear. There were deeper roots to the issue, it seems, besides just measuring fighting prowess. But what those issues were, she could only guess...

Still determined to at least try and cheer her up, Vanessa put an arm on her shoulder and smiled.

"Cmon dude, Big is a total loser. There's no way he stands a chance against you."

King brought her hand up; it was shaking non-stop, impossible for her to command to cease. She was truly terrified!

"I don't know what's wrong with me!" King wailed. "If it was anyone else, like that doofus Jack Turner, I would be fine. But Big... he just made me miserable all the time! I hated working for him so much! All the harassment, the toxic environment, the thankless work, his attitude... it was the worst time of my life!"

"So why did you stay?" Vanessa asked.

Two wet streaks began to trail down her eyelids. "...Because it was all I had. I was in a dark, dark place back then Vanessa. Because of my gender, I... wasn't able to be what I wanted to be. When Jack defeated me and forced me to work for Big... I-I was... grateful. Grateful to have SOMETHING, because Big convinced me that I was useless otherwise. He made me feel like my only purpose in life was to serve him, otherwise I might as well be dead."

"That's terrible..."

King looked back in the mirror, angry. "Mr. Big may be a windbag... but he's a lot more cunning than people give him credit for. He knows how to make you feel exactly what he wants you to feel. How to manipulate you... to make you think his way is the only way. He had me in his grasp... and it wasn't until Ryo came along that I was finally freed. I owe everything to Ryo... and that's why I'll love him forever..."

Vanessa put an arm around King and brought their cheeks together. "You're a fighter, King. It sounds to me like the only way you're gonna get past this is to walk through that gate and speak your mind to Big. Let him know the truth. Express what you're feeling, and let him know that you're a stronger person now. And most importantly... kick his sniveling bald ass."

The agent's pep talk actually helped; it managed to produce a smile on the blonde's lips. With those words, her fists clenched; she WAS strong now. She was stronger than ever before. At this stage in her life, with love and support from so many, she was capable of defeating her darkest demons. Though she would walk alone in this battle physically... her heart would be limitless in power and support.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Coliseum, Mr. Big was preparing himself for battle as well. All around him, a harem of women tended to him: two girls massaged his shoulders, two girls warmed up his calves, one girl groomed his mustache, while another girl polished his bald head. Finally, he had one more girl, simply for the purpose of reciting motivational quotes over and over.

"Who is the strongest?"

"I am." Big grinned.

"Who is the smartest?"

"I am!" Big boasted.

"Who is the most charming, handsome, charismatic, most influential boss of all time? Who's gonna lead the world to utopia, under his strong, wise, authoritative boots?"

"ME! MR. F***ING BIG! WAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!"

At last, the time had come. With a grin, Mr. Big's shades shimmered as he stood up and straightened his coat. With a mighty yell, he swung his Eskrima sticks.

"Heh heh... Geese... Krauser... I hope you two are watching. I'm done living in your glorified shadows! I'm going to rise up, raise my fist, and smash this unholy triumvirate! From here on out, legends will only speak of one boss! One king, above all others! From here on, this is a new world. BIG'S WORLD! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!"

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #5: MR. BIG VS KING**

In the stands, all the Kyokugens had gathered around in support of King during her most challenging time. They realized how much she meant to Ryo, and standing by him in this moment spoke powerfully. Even Eiji Kisaragi and Kasumi Todoh, despite their rivalry of Ryo, decided to show their support by rooting for King alongside him.

Hell... basically everybody was rooting for King. Only a few people on the face of the Earth could like a total asshole like Mr. Big anyway.

"I wish I could be out there with her..." Ryo muttered, clenching his fist.

"She's gotta do this, amigo." Robert replied. "She's gonna pay Big back for everything, just you wait."

"Big may be a colossal jerkwad, but he's definitely no slouch. This is going to be King's toughest test." Kyo nodded.

"If King loses this fight, I officially lose faith in humanity." K' spat.

"Cmon KING! We're here for you!" Mai cheered for her longtime teammate.

King looked up at the stands; not only the fighters, but the entire crowd seemed to cheer for her. She could feel her heart warming, joyous tears threatening to spill over. To be in the presence of such overwhelming love and support... it was truly humbling. Now, more than ever, King felt like someone who mattered. She was as far from those old days as she could ever be.

Finally, Mr. Big emerged from the "blue corner" of the Coliseum. As his cocky, smirking face came strutting into the ring, he was immediately met with a cacophony of boos.

"BOOOOOOOO!"

Most of the fighters booed him too, with the exception of a few loyal friends of Big's over the years. Yes, it seemed almost unanimous that everyone wanted King to win this fight.

"Hey, screw you all!" Big flipped off the audience. "I'm above all of you little fleas! I'm the king of this f***ing world! I piss on all your dumb heads! You and your children!"

"Heh heh... that's right, Big. Get mad." Geese laughed from atop his VIP seat. "It'll make your downfall all the more satisfying to watch."

Big approached the center of the ring... and at last, these two unpleasant acquaintances were reunited. For a minute they just locked eyes, taking in the sheer awkwardness and tension of the moment. Big could see in King's eyes that she resented him; she was far from the woman he used to push around when he still had a seat of power in Southtown.

"King... it's been a while, woman." Big nodded.

"Big. It's NOT a pleasure to see you." King snapped at him.

"What? Got something against your old boss?" Big teased.

King pointed furiously at him. "You and I have unfinished business. I'm not here just to beat you bloody. I'm not looking for revenge, or anything like that. I'm merely here to send a message: I've grown up, and I realize that I'm somebody who's worth living! Whatever hold you used to have on me is long gone now. I'm not your puppet anymore."

Big's brow furrowed as he stepped forward. "And just what are you accusing me of, hmm? I treated you well, King! You were shunned from professional kickboxing for being a stupid woman, and I took you in when you had nothing! I paid you well to work for me. I gave you power and purpose! It's more than a woman could have achieved back then."

"You treated me like crap!" King retorted. "Where were you, when your thug buddies bullied and harassed me and made sexual advances? You were behind them, encouraging it! All you ever thought of me as was a pretty face who could fight and bleed for you. I didn't actually matter to you, as a person. I was just a piece of meat, dangling on your strings. You... you broke me psychologically! You got in my head...made me feel useless. Do you deny it?!"

Big shook his head. "Well, look how you turned out! You're a tough woman now, King. And you have ME to thank for it! I hardened you, made you into someone with a backbone. Do you think you could have achieved the success you have today if not for me? I made you!"

King stomped angrily. "NO NO NO! You are not getting in my head again! You're not gonna twist it around and make me feel like you were doing the right thing and I should just thank you!"

Big scoffed, getting into stance and brandishing his sleek black Eskrima sticks. "Hmph. Fine then! Believe what you want to believe, woman. If you got some beef you wanna settle, then come at me! Beat the shit out of me, if you think you're so tough! I'll show you how weak you really are, and how much I carried you!"

 **FIGHT!**

Mr. Big showed off a little, twirling his Eskrima sticks in his hands before tossing them in the air, doing a 360, and catching them with a grin. He held them high towards his chest, crossing them in an X shape.

King furiously lunged forward, throwing a stomping kick to Big's shin to try and slow him down. Big raised his leg to check the kick, so it didn't do much damage. But King didn't stop there; before her foot even rested on the ground, she suddenly whipped it upwards and tried to kick Big in the face. Her foot unfortunately only succeeded in bouncing off of Big's weapon, which he raised well to protect his mug.

King pivoted her left hip like firing a shotgun, throwing a hard side kick to Big's stomach which connected. As she spun around to follow through, she pushed off of the ground and came back around with a leaping kick to the head. Though he took the shot to the body, Big swayed his head well to avoid the high kick.

The blonde continued to put on the pressure; she tried to close in on Big and smash him with a high roundhouse... but Big easily read her and launched a counterattack.

CRACK!

King winced in pain as Big intercepted her kick mid flight, smacking her in the kneecap with his hard wooden weapon. The sound of wood hitting bone echoed with a sickening thud that made everyone in the stands shiver.

"Ouch! Can she still walk after that one?" Benimaru cringed.

King's leg immediately returned to her body, and she staggered hard. Still in Big's range, she was helpless to avoid a second attack: a quick, stinging backhanded strike that bashed her in the face and sent her reeling backwards.

King was seeing stars, and she could barely stand on her numbing leg... but that was the least of her worries. She looked forward, and the only thing she could see was Big flying at her like a torpedo, his sticks extended.

"OUUUUUUUF...!" King wheezed with pain as Big crashed into her hard, his sticks burying deep into her stomach. She was floored instantly, with Big collapsing on top of her.

"King!" Ryo cried out.

"Shit, Big's right on top of her..." Terry muttered.

Big cackled as he achieved a full mount and raised his weapons, preparing to beat on her like a drum. Luckily, King was game enough to grab his head and pull it down to her chest to prevent him from posturing up. Using her powerful thighs, she managed to wrap her legs around Big and throw him off of her, so she could get back up.

When the two were upright, King immediately launched an attack. She knew she had to make up ground.

"VENOM STRIKE!"

Unleashing her trusty projectile, King threw a kick which propelled a blazing pink fireball. The projectile soared towards Big, certain to hit its target...

"DENIED!" Big taunted as he swung his sticks in an X-shaped contrail, dissolving the fireball before it could hit him.

King cursed; obviously zoning out someone like Big would never work, as he has mastered the art of swatting fireballs with his sticks.

Big got a running start and came soaring towards her again with his deadly diving attack, but King rolled out of the way of it and Big was forced to somersault back to his feet.

King kiai'd as she closed distance on him from the left side and threw a leaping side kick towards his face. Although Big dodged it, King landed on her feet and threw a powerful leg kick immediately after. This one struck Big dead on the knee, hyperextending it and causing him to drop. Immediately, the Coliseum erupted with cheer.

"That one knocked him down a peg!" Robert cheered.

"Ngh! Shit!" Big cursed. In his desperation, he unleashed his own ranged attack.

"GROUND BLASTER!"

Shoving his sticks into the earth, he let loose a powerful shockwave that zoomed towards King's feet. But that was a damning mistake, as King was well within distance.

King cried out with all her might as she leaped over the shockwave and hit Big dead in the face with a flying knee. The bald man cried out in pain as his sunglasses shattered under the crushing weight of her kneecap, and he fell backwards until he was laid out. His sunglasses lay all around in in little black pieces, along with some blood from facial cuts.

"YEAH KING! DO IT!" Ryo was bouncing in the stands, unable to contain himself.

"Ungh... urgh... that bitch actually hit me...!" Big spat his blood on the ground as he cursed King's name. With a growl, he jumped to his feet and brandished his sticks.

"BRING IT ON, BITCH!"

This time, Big was the aggressor. He barreled forward, swinging his sticks wildly with vertical strokes. King swayed effectively to dodge the first two before Big switched it up and came towards her head with a wide horizontal swing. She ducked, but Big doubled up by spinning around and throwing a backhanded swipe at the body. A quick hop with both feet allowed King to propel herself backwards just enough to dodge the blunt object.

King threw a side kick to Big's stomach to halt his advance, which succeeded. As Big was stunned, King tried a spinning hook kick to the head, but Big ducked and lunged in. He was in deadly range... and King was wide open.

"TRY DODGING THIS ONE!"

Drawing his arms back, he jammed his sticks hard into her ribs and shut down any offense the girl had to offer. King's legs gave out; her arms quickly dropped as she instinctively brought them against her torso in a vain attempt to stifle the pain. It overtook her all at once, as her ribs screamed out in agony, echoing through her nervous system until the pain brought her down.

"Oh my god... that had to hurt." Ash whispered. His face was cringing, just from seeing such a painful attack.

King could only collapse to her knees and curl up, the pain simply overwhelming as tears leaked out involuntarily. She tried to scream... but the breath wasn't even in her body. She opened her mouth and tried to produce noise, but all she got was a white hot burning that tortured her insides.

"NOOOOOO!" Ryo wailed.

"Dammit King, you got this girl!" Robert urged.

"K-King! Oh no, she's not getting up!' Yuri squeaked.

Chizuru was close to calling this fight; King looked done right now. She was just lying on the ground in a fetal position, coughing violently from that devastating blow.

"Cmon King... you have to get up..." Chizuru silently muttered. The last thing she wished was to deny her old teammate the chance for victory... but King was very close to her; Chizuru didn't want to see her friend harmed. She still hasn't gotten up; it's time to call it.

...But suddenly, something stopped Chizuru. It started off faint, not even discernible.

"King...King...King...King..."

But slowly, it began to pick up. A steady increase, the volume rising with each passing second.

"King...King...King...King...!"

The murmurs became synchronized cheers. The isolated, scattered groups all started to join together in harmony, the same name on their lips as they began to proudly yell it.

"King! King! King! King!"

The agitated waters grew even MORE intense; pretty soon the Coliseum was a violent wave of zealous might, as a number somewhere around 80,000 people all rose to their feet and started screaming it!

"KING! KING! KING! KING! KING! KING! KING!"

The fighters couldn't stay in their seats either. All the ones close to King, or those with fire in their hearts all jumped up and started calling for her to get up. The entire building roared with the message: a humble command for King to rise up and borrow their power to face her adversity. It was a powerful, uplifting, humbling moment. Chizuru felt honored to have witnessed it; the sheer power of the moment made her eyes fill with wetness, even though she didn't feel like crying at all.

King's strength returned to her body, as if their voices trailed directly into her and filled her with the will to rise.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" King cried out in agony as she willed herself upwards, the only thing keeping her up the awesomeness of this moment. Some of ribs were no doubt fractured, each breath more acidic than the last. But right now, she could still do this. She had the power... and Big had nothing.

"YEAAAAH KING! KICK HIS ASS!" Benimaru cheered.

"WE'RE HERE FOR YOU KING!" Mai squealed.

"DO IT KING!" Yuri encouraged.

"This is bullshit!" Big cursed as he brandished his sticks. "Alright... I'm going to teach you all that happy endings don't f***ing exist! Good or bad doesn't matter, only the strongest and the smartest come out on top! That's ME!"

"Big... shut the hell up." King retorted.

Mr. Big gave a battle cry as he charged towards King and spun around viciously, gathering up huge momentum to deliver a big swing. His bombastic, exaggerated attack missed as King juked left and smashed his face with a forward elbow.

"Ngaaaah!" Big cursed as he felt his nose curve in a direction it wasn't supposed to go. He stumbled backwards, his eyes getting misty from the nasal impact.

King closed distance on him and Big tried a wide backhanded swing to stop her in her tracks. King swayed to avoid it, but Big doubled up by coming forward with an overhead swing with his other stick. Again, King sidestepped... and she delivered a nasty hooking elbow directly behind his ear.

Big stumbled backwards, just into range of her kicks: King's domain. With a booming kiai, King lit up his face with a swift roundhouse. This one dropped Big, and he had to scramble on his hands and knees just to get back up.

"HE'S ON THE ROPES! KEEP GOING KING!" Ryo yelled.

King approached Big, who had his back turned. She prepared to punish... but she didn't notice Big had done something new. With an evil chuckle he connected his two Eskrima sticks into one long staff. She realized this too late...

KACRACK!

King's world revolved like a globe as Big abruptly spun around and caught her directly in the face with the end of his now one long weapon. As the blonde woman stumbled over, Big leaped towards her and cracked her dome with a flying smack. King was on jelly legs, feeling like the equivalent of being hit with a wooden baseball bat.

"Heh heh!" Big chuckled as he spun around 360 and thrust his staff into her stomach. King cried out in pain as she was sent down to her butt. Her strength left her all at once; she tried to stand back up, but could only fall backwards and lay flat.

"Hngh... aghh... uhnnnnnn..."

"No! She was so close..." Mai sobbed.

"King..." Robert put a consoling hand on Ryo, who had a tear or two in his eye. The blonde Kyokugen master shut his eyes and looked away, as the moisture began to fall freely.

Big held the staff above his head as he approached the fallen King, who was wincing in pain and clutching her stomach. He stood above her, like an executioner with his axe raised. As he prepared to deliver the final blow, he spoke:

"Now you remember your place, toots?"

Those words filled King with anger... and her fists clenched.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 **Next time: Dramatic conclusion! Does the bad guy REALLY win sometimes? Does the world suck that bad?**

 **Robert gets more than he bargained for when he steps into the ring! Talk about a package deal!**

 **The Ikari Warriors are unleashed! Will the team that has seen the deadliest combat survive THIS battlefield?**

 **All this and MORE, coming at you next chapter. Stay tuned!**


	6. Chapter 6: Opening Round, pt 2

**Welp, I finally got my first "screw you for leaving out Rock Howard" review lol. To the person who called me a garbage person/writer, I'll excuse your rudeness since I'm having such a great time with this fic. SNK still has a huge, diverse cast of wonderful, zany, colorful characters not named Rock Howard.**

 **As for all my OTHER reviewers... you are the sweetest, loveliest people alive and I thank each and every one of you. You guys are my power! I happily welcome your compliments and critiques. Please keep it coming! Your reviews give me life.**

 **The tournament carries on! Without Rock Howard. I mean it. Enjoy the action : )**

Mr. Big stood above the downed King, raising his long staff above his head, preparing to bring it down on her and silence her.

"Now you remember your place, toots?"

Everyone looked away, especially Ryo who had tears in his eyes. Just a moment ago, hope was a reality... but how could King escape this one?

With a grunt, Big swung his weapon at her head, intending to knock her out with one blow. But King had other plans...

"Wh-wha...?!"

Mr. Big's surprise could only be understated as King suddenly threw her legs up and caught his weapon between her feet. She yanked back with one strong motion, snatching the staff out of his hands and sending it flying across the arena.

"KING! ALRIGHT!" Robert cheered. Upon hearing Robert's sudden excitement, Ryo wiped his eyes and looked; he was just in time to see Mr. Big's weapon land far away from his reach.

Mr. Big's next surprise came when he received a foot to his groin, followed by a nasty upkick to his nose.

"Ouuuuuuuuf!" he cried as he was knocked backwards, blood flying from his nose which was now broken.

King did a powerful spring kick back to her feet. Sensing Big was still stunned, she started pouring it on him.

"DOUBLE STRIKE!" King swung her legs with gusto to launch two quick fireballs in succession. The projectiles soared and struck Big dead on, knocking him flat on his back.

"HA! Without his precious sticks, Big can't do crap about projectiles!" Yuri cheered.

"GO KING GOOOO!" Mai cheered, bouncing up and down so hard that her own breasts hit her in the chin.

Big slowly got back up to his feet, only to look up and see King already on him. She drew her fist back and unleashed a straight right, directly on his nose.

"Auuuuugh! My nose! YOU BITCH!" Big cursed as he stumbled backwards.

King poured it on him, throwing a sharp leg kick to his already hurt knee, then whipping her foot upwards and coming across his cheek from the left side with a nasty looping kick. Big's cheek looked caved in as he went flying to the ground, landing facefirst.

"FINISH HIM, KING!" Geese boomed from his VIP seat.

"Ughh... unghhh..." Big groaned pitifully as he rose to his feet on shaky legs. He raised his bloody face and met the determined eyes of King, who stood before him with her fists clenched.

"From now on, Big, you treat me with respect! I'm not just a stupid woman. Got it?" King demanded.

Big shamefully nodded his head. "Ugh... g-got it..."

"Good. Now take a nice nap. KIYAAAAAH!"

King unleashed a leaping side kick to his face, her mighty foot smashing into him and laying him out on the arena floor. He landed on his butt before falling backwards and going spread eagle. He was sleeping like a bald, mustached baby.

 **WINNER: KING**

"SHE DID IT! HAHAHAHAHAAAA! SHE DID IT!" Ryo screamed with every fiber of his lungs as he emerged from the stands and ran out to meet her. He didn't know if it was against the rules... but he really didn't give a damn.

He raced over to King and snatched her up in his arms, swinging her around as she giggled.

"Hahahaha! R-Ryo! Agh! M-my ribs hurt!"

Realizing that King was hurt from the battle, Ryo abruptly stopped and set her down. "S-sorry King. You did great!"

King smiled, tears in her eyes from the power of this victory. "I couldn't have done it without all of you. Ryo... I love you."

In front of 80,000 people, King embraced Ryo and met his lips with all the fire and passion her own lips could produce. The volume increased tenfold upon witnessing this epic, romantic moment play out in front of them.

"Wow... that's some movie shit right there." Benimaru laughed.

"She just knocked Big down more than a peg or two. Hopefully she humbled his ass for eternity." Kyo replied.

From his VIP seat, Geese boomed with laughter. "HAHAHAHA! How pathetic, Big! You talk so much, yet you deliver so little. Sleep on the ground where you belong, worm."

After the excitement of the fifth fight was over, there was a 5-minute intermission before the next bout was announced.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #6: RICK STROWD VS RALF JONES**

The first one out there was a man of mystery to many: a Native American descendant, Rick Strowd was a well-built boxer with deadly speed and precision in his hands. His shirtless torso bore several white and blue tattoos: perhaps spiritual in nature. He had snow white hair, which he wore in a ponytail to avoid obstructing his vision. He didn't wear boxing gloves, preferring to wear much smaller blue 8-ounce gloves for faster strikes.

As Rick danced around the ring, practicing his jabs and head movement, the crowd erupted in cheer as Ralf Jones emerged from the "blue corner' of the Coliseum. He grinned wide, waving to the crowd and showing off his muscles.

"This is a bad stylistic matchup for Ralf. He's a sloppy, aggressive brawler. This guy looks like he has clean, crisp striking." Heidern analyzed.

"Yes sir." Leona agreed.

"Hopefully Clark will be able to give him some pointers, to avoid getting pieced up." Whip added.

"Clark knows exactly how to win this fight. If only it were him..." Heidern put a hand to his chin as his eyes squinted.

Ralf finally arrived in the combat zone, tightening his bandanna. He cracked his knuckles a few times as he greeted:

"Ralf Jones."

"Rick Strowd." the Native American nodded.

"Let's have a clean fight. Wild and crazy... but clean."

"Of course."

 **FIGHT!**

Ralf and Rick circled each other a few times, Rick with his hands up and showing much more effective head and foot movement. He was constantly feinting, in an effort to throw Ralf off...

"CIRCLE AWAY FROM HIS POWER HAND! RIGHT! RIGHT!" Clark coached from the stands. He wasn't sure if Ralf could hear him, but he made sure to yell loudly.

Ralf lunged in with a wild haymaker, throwing his entire body into it. Rick easily sidestepped out of the way of it and peppered Ralf with three sharp jabs that backed him up. Ralf shook the cobwebs and circled, closing in on the right and throwing an aggressive 1-2 that went mid and high. Rick blocked the shots with his forearms and went to the body with a left, stunning Ralf and leaving him open to a second shot to the face.

"Ngh!" Ralf hissed as he backpedaled. He backed up for a few seconds before pride got the best of him and he closed in again. With a grunt, he threw a stomping kick to the leg which served to set up his right hand which he came barreling forward with.

Rick smirked as he swayed left and Ralf's sloppy overhand right threw himself off balance. Rick connected to his ribs with a 1-2, then went high with another 1-2 that battered his face and snapped his head back.

Ralf grunted and threw a wild spinning backfist to distance Rick. The attack obviously missed, but it gave Ralf enough time to back up and regain his footing.

"FEINT AND GET UNDER HIM! DON'T STAND WITH HIM!" Clark bellowed.

Ralf heard Clark... but he ignored it. He didn't want to wrestle with this guy; he wanted to knock him out!

Ralf pushed forward with several looping punches to the body; Rick brought his forearms close to his torso and absorbed the impact. Finally, Ralf mixed it up and went high with a looping left, but Rick smoothly dodged and countered with a crystal-clear left cross. Ralf was dropped like a hot potato.

"DAMN IT RALF! DON'T STAND WITH HIM! I'M TELLING YOU!" Clark berated.

"Alright, alright! Keep your glasses on!" Ralf fired back as he jumped back to his feet.

Ralf tried to close distance on him, but Rick effectively backpedaled and countered with a swift combination. Ralf couldn't get close to him; the boxer was picking him apart at range.

"WAIT FOR YOUR MOMENT! HE'S GONNA STEP FORWARD WITH THE LEFT FOOT!" Clark shouted.

Sure enough, his partner's coaching was spot on; Rick Strowd lunged forward on his left knee and threw an overhand right, which gave Ralf exactly what he wanted.

Ralf went low and charged at his legs with a power double, seizing them easily in his strong arms. He pushed forward with his knees and lifted Rick off the ground with his immense strength before slamming him HARD.

Rick struggled from the bottom, trying to push the large man off of him, but Ralf managed to bypass his knees and achieve a full mount, sitting on top of his stomach.

"Good. Rick may be a good puncher, but he has no idea what to do here." Heidern smiled.

Ralf postured up and began raining left and right upon Rick's face. The Native American put his arms up to block the shots... but Ralf's fists were like cinder blocks. Each one impacted hard against him, snapping his head back enough that the back of his head banged againt the ground.

Ralf continued to rain punches, left, right, left, right... Rick's arms began to grow weary, slowly getting looser... until he was unable to keep them up anymore. Ralf's punches started to land cleanly, knocking his head left and right like a punching bag.

But, to Ralf's surprise, Rick still had fight left in him. Ralf was too postured up, his center of gravity not low enough to prevent an explosion from the bottom. Rick did just that, bucking his hips upward with all his might and managing to roll over. Ralf was riding his back, and the boxer managed to get on all fours and muscle his way back to his feet.

Rick trudged forward a few steps, still carrying Ralf's weight, but he managed to pry the man's arms free and finally backpedal to freedom.

As soon as the two of them were back up, Rick drew his arm back and unleashed a shotgun blast of a right hand that knocked Ralf to the ground.

"SHIT! Ralf!" Clark cursed.

The Ikari Warrior was still game, as his tough chin allowed him to shake the cobwebs and leap back to his feet. He tried to shoot for a double leg once again, but this time Rick leaped out of range and hammer-fisted him in the back of the head. As Ralf got back up, he received an uppercut as a parting gift which stumbled him backwards.

"RALF! LISTEN TO ME! FEINT A LEVEL CHANGE, AND LET YOUR RIGHT HAND GO!"

Ralf was badly dazed; now wasn't the time for pride anymore. Clark seemed to have the strategy down, so it was time to swallow it up and listen to his partner.

The Ikari Warrior did exactly as instructed; he suddenly dropped down as if he was shooting for a takedown, and Rick immediately flinched. With a grin, Ralf rose back up, drew his right hand back, and let that mack truck fly.

POWWWWWW!

Rick took the full force of that power punch to his temple, shutting his lights out right then and there. He fell over like a domino, down for the count.

 **WINNER: RALF JONES**

"ALRIGHT RALF! THAT'S MY BOY!" Clark leaped out of the stands and ran to embrace his longtime partner and best friend. When the two of them met in the ring, Ralf threw his arms around Clark and lifted him high in the air.

"HA HAAAA! Clark my man! You were spot on, dude!" Ralf complimented.

From the stands, Whip cheered... but Leona was nowhere to be found. Minutes ago, she received her notice...

"Excellent work, Ralf. I knew you wouldn't fail." Heidern nodded, a solemn smile on his face. It felt good, after countless years of service, to see Ralf continue to achieve victory for the Ikari Warriors. He was always reliable.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #7: RAMON VS JOHN CRAWLEY**

As the seventh fight was just about underway, Vanessa finally emerged from the locker room to rejoin Seth in the stands.

"Ah, Vanessa. Glad you could make it." Seth smiled. "Look. Ramon's about to fight."

Vanessa grinned as she folded her arms. "Is he, now?"

"Yeah... um, can you see out of your right eye?"

"Nope! Haha!"

"Vanessa... go to the hospital."

Down on the combat zone, Ramon bounced around eagerly as he faced his opponent: a blonde man like himself, who wore an olive-green jumpsuit and brown combat boots. A pair of dark green aviator sunglasses were on his face. Judging from this man's attire, Ramon deduced that he was military: perhaps Air Force?

"I hate to whoop a brave veteran like yourself, sir." Ramon said, giving a little salute.

John grinned evilly as he cracked his knuckles. "Don't worry, little man. I retired long ago. I'm in a... different... line of work now, heh heh heh..."

"Ah, so you're a lousy goon."

Those words triggered John big time. "H-how dare you! I'm not just a goon, dammit! I was Mr. Big's right hand man!"

Ramon tilted his head back and laughed. "Hahahahahahaha! Dude... that is not something to brag about! I can't think of anything more pathetic!"

John was good and pissed now, his killer instinct kicking in. "GRRRR! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

 **FIGHT!**

John lunged forward with a push kick to the stomach, but the agile Ramon danced out of the way. John came around with a backfist, then pressed forward with an overhand left, then spun around to complete the combo with a spinning backfist. Ramon was simply too quick, and all of the attacks whiffed horribly.

Ramon leaped in with his right foot extended and buried it in John's gut, then twisted his body in mid-air and brought his left foot soaring in from the side to blast John in the temple. The two of them tumbled to the ground, Ramon quickly rolling sideways to leap back up to his feet. John got up quickly, not badly hurt from the kick.

Ramon bounced around, scanning John up and down. He was at a serious disadvantage in this fight; not only did he have no supernatural chi or aura to help him, most of his best moves involved using a wall or ropes for momentum. Since this was just a wide open ring, he'd be fighting with a serious handicap.

John pushed forward with a lead jab, which pelted Ramon's nose. John doubled up with another jab, and followed up with a straight left behind it. The jab masked the straight left, and Ramon was helpless to dodge the powerful punch. He was sent on his back foot, his one good eye going blurry.

Crawley put on the pressure, coming forward with a front kick to Ramon's stomach which caused him to hunch over. But Ramon quickly seized his leg before John could bring it back to his body. The wrestler hit him with the classic Dragon Screw leg whip: twisting John's leg hard while throwing his weight downwards, causing John to tumble to the ground and allow Ramon to achieve top position.

The next minute consisted of a struggle, as John fought to pry Ramon off of him, while Ramon stayed glued to John and pelted his head with short punches. Ramon was able to control his movements for the most part, but the stubborn John worked his way back up to his feet and finally achieved underhooks.

He attempted to throw Ramon aside, so the wrestler did something desperate; he suddenly vaulted upwards and wrapped his legs around John's neck, squeezing with his thighs to put strain on the soldier's breathing.

"Akh! Akkhhh!" John choked as his hands fought desperately to pry the man's legs free. But Ramon's vice-grip was too strong.

Ramon torqued his hips and brought John crashing to the ground, his neck trapped firmly between Ramon's thighs. Ramon squeezed hard, trying to put the ex-soldier to sleep... but John rolled over and managed to get on his hands and knees. Ramon was unable to keep it up any longer, and was finally forced to let go and roll to safety.

Ramon lunged in and bashed John in the face with his forearm, then quickly clinched with him and began peppering his stomach with knees. John angrily pried one arm loose and slung Ramon aside. Ramon quickly spun around and went low with a diving dropkick, taking John out at the legs.

He rolled over and got on top of John, then smashed him in the face with another vicious forearm, breaking his glasses... but that was all John allowed him to do. The ex-soldier pressed the rigid bone of his arm against Ramon's neck and pushed him away to create distance. He managed to bring his knees up and throw Ramon off of him with one good push.

As the two of them got back up to their feet, John was quicker on the draw; Ramon was still getting up, his back turned.

"MEGA SMASH!" John thrust his hands forward and unleashed a yellow burst of chi energy that soared and struck Ramon in the back.

"OOOF!" Ramon winced with pain as he landed facefirst, but he quickly rolled over and sprung back to his feet.

"RAMON! ROLL LEFT!" Seth suddenly barked.

"Wha...?" Ramon looked up just in time to see John FLYING at him, upside down, his entire body spinning like a tornado as yellow chi engulfed his body.

"Oh SHIIIIIT...!" Ramon dived out of the way of the fearsome typhoon, as John touched down and missed him by mere inches.

"HE'S OPEN! GO FOR THE FINISH!" Seth screamed.

Sure enough, it took a very long time for John Crawley to get back up after that huge flying attack. As soon as he was upright, Ramon was on him immediately.

"Ouuuuf...!" the air was knocked out of John's windpipe as Ramon plowed into him with a clothesline. But as Ramon followed through with the attack, the crafty wrestler hooked his arm around John's neck and used his forward momentum to bring John plummeting to the ground like he was lasso'd at the neck.

The end result was Ramon and John in a north-south position on the ground, with Ramon's arm locked firmly around John's neck in an arm triangle. John tried to pry his arm off... but the crushing grip was immensely tight. All he could do was flail his legs in vain.

Ramon quickly flipped over and snaked his other arm around John's neck, then began to squeeze with all his might to complete the choke. He squeezed and squeezed, his face going pink from his strenuous effort.

"HNNNNNNGhhhh...!" John squeaked as his precious breath was forcefully squeezed from his body. His face was turning purple, darkness closing in all around him... he wasn't even conscious enough to try and fight off Ramon's hands. He only had one course of action...

The ex-soldier quickly raised his hand and forcefully tapped against Ramon's head, letting the wrestler know he conceded. With a smile, Ramon let go of the death-grip and rolled back to his feet.

 **WINNER: RAMON**

"Awesome work, Ramon. Your skills are legit as always." Seth smiled.

"VANESSA, BABY! I WON THIS FOR YOU, DARLING!" Ramon yelled to the crowd as he struck a heroic pose. Too bad for him, Vanessa had taken Seth's advice and requested an ambulance minutes ago. She was already on her way to join King at the hospital, as well as most of the losing competitors.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #8: LEONA HEIDERN VS LEE PAI LONG**

Leona knelt down on one knee, her eyes closed as she solemnly awaited her opponent. She had no need for exhibiting a macho facade or showing off to the crowd... she wasn't that kind of person. Before a battle, there was only calm: a final moment of serenity, to be cherished before diving headfirst into the fire.

As she sat there in solace, she began to hear an obnoxious cackling...

"KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE!"

Her eyes opened; she rose to her feet and witnessed her opponent come flying in with a boisterous yell. It was hard to tell, thanks to his colorful Chinese mask, but this man seemed to be a much older gentleman. At least he could still move well.

The highly energetic old man bowed to Leona, finally speaking:

"What's a pretty young lady like you doing in this fighting competition?"

Leona's face remained ever-stoic. "I could ask the same to you. Why do you fight, old man?"

Lee got into stance. "I fight to turn back the clock! My remedies keep me fit and healthy, allowing me to stand with the youngsters even at my ripe age! And you? Why do you fight?"

Leona closed her eyes. "I'm a soldier. Fighting is my life. My home is the battlefield, until the day my life ends. And then... I can finally rest."

Lee put a hand to his chin. "Hmmm! That sounds like an incredibly dull, unfulfilling life! KEEEEE!"

Leona raised her fists. "It's the only one I've got."

 **FIGHT!**

Lee wasted no time: he leaped high into the air and came flying towards Leona's head with his feet extended. His jumping ability was exceptional.

Leona quickly went airborne as well, leaping high to dodge the attack. In mid-air, Leona pushed off with her feet and propelled towards Lee like a rocket. She brought her hands up and crossed them, fingers straightened out.

SLASH!

Leona swung her arms wide in an X-shaped arc, a bright teal contrail of her powerful chi following her hands. Her chi was incredibly keen and precise, slashing Lee in the chest and sending the old man flying backwards until his hard impact on the ground.

Lee was badly hurt by Leona's slashing attack... but he wasn't bleeding. In fact, his flesh wasn't even cut; this is because Leona respectfully adhered to Chizuru's wishes, and held back on her fatal attacks. This was still a friendly competition, not a fight to the death.

The masked man was slow to get up from Leona's nasty counterattack, but he shook it off and closed distance on her again.

"KEEEEEEE!" he howled as he let loose a mighty flying heel kick. Leona sidestepped out of the way of it, and Lee spun around with an open-handed swing. Leona brought her forearm up to parry the shot, then peppered his face with two jabs. He didn't seem fazed by it, probably thanks to his mask protecting his face.

Lee came forward in Eagle Claw style, his fingers curved like fangs as he swiped at Leona with two sharp strikes. Leona's head movement allowed her to dodge them, and she counterattacked with a stiff left uppercut, followed by a rolling sobat to the chest. Her fierce kick pushed him back several yards, complete with a vocal grunt from the old man.

Leona sprinted forward, her left hand rigid and raised up like a weapon preparing to be unleashed. When she closed distance on Lee, she lunged and threw a deep diagonal strike, her deadly chi coursing through the air and following the path of trajectory.

"KEEEEEEEEE!" Lee yelped as he leaped backwards impressively to avoid the huge slash. As soon as he landed on his feet, he raised his hands; to Leona's shock, iron talons sprung from his wrists!

"Huh? Weapons?!"

"KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEEE!" Lee cackled as he spun around viciously like a whirlwind and started coming towards Leona at high speed. His body was spinning so fast, he wasn't even visible; all Leona could see was a razor-sharp blur coming at her, potentially ripping her to pieces.

"Leona, move!" Heidern commanded. "To the air, NOW!"

Leona's heart was pounding, the familiar feeling of being in the heat of swarming bullets deep inside her. With a sharp exhale, she composed herself and waited for Lee to close in on her... almost... now!

The blue haired soldier leaped out of the way of the impending tornado, causing Lee to slow down to a halt upon realizing he missed his target. As the old man recovered from his dizziness, Leona was on him in an instant.

SLASH! SLASH!

Lee's sharp claw weapons were sliced clean off, courtesy of two perfect strokes from Leona's lethal hands.

"K-KEE?!"

With a grunt, Leona spun around 360 and unleashed a deep upwards slash to Lee's face, a trail of chi forming a perfect vertical streak where her hand traveled.

A few seconds passed, and nothing seemed to happen as Leona stood there in her post-attack pose. But suddenly, out of the blue... Lee's mask split into two halves and hit the ground.

"G-GAAAAH! MY PRECIOUS MASK!"

Lee's now unprotected face was the recipient of Leona's vicious 4-hit combo: he received a hard 1-2, snapping his head back so he couldn't even see the nasty left hook to the soft area below his sternum. As Lee stumbled backwards, he backed into range of Leona's foot as she leaped and threw a spinning kick to his mug to finish him off. The old man collapsed to the ground, too dazed to get back up.

 **WINNER: LEONA HEIDERN**

"Alright Leona! You did great!" Ralf cheered, having returned from a medical evaluation. He grabbed Clark and put him in a headlock, out of pure hype from seeing Leona dominate.

"She did awesome!" Whip squealed.

Heidern said nothing... but the smile on his face couldn't be hidden. He felt an immeasurable pride for the girl he called daughter.

Leona didn't revel in her victory, or the cheers of the 80,000 watching. She merely closed her eyes and walked away, a humble soldier living to fight another day.

"Damn, Leona is the real deal." Ryo nodded. "She tore old man Lee apart."

"That guy is a little too old, heh. He better stick to medicine." Yuri laughed.

"Silence, you two! I won't have you talking bad about Master Lee!" Takuma berated. "In any case, Robert should be up any minute now. He received his notice a couple fights ago.

"Yaaaaay Robert! I'm so excited!" Yuri bounced in her seat.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #9: CHANG KOEHAN VS ROBERT GARCIA**

This was going to be an interesting one. Chang Koehan was a huge, towering behemoth of a man, with an iron chin and inhuman strength. To make matters worse, he preferred to fight with a giant iron ball and chain.

To an unenlightened person, Robert Garcia would have every disadvantage. However, most of the fighters were smart enough to know that Robert's skills were far, far above that of the burly ex-convict. He was faster, more technical, and had a powerful chi coursing through his body that could manifest into mighty attacks. This would be a test of endurance: could Robert's speed and technique outlast Chang's strength and durability?

Robert was eating up the crowd, the native Italians in awe of their national hero. He waved, flashed his charming smile, struck several attractive poses... he could feel his body warming up, as he drank in their pure energy and support. His zeal was at an all-time, dangerous high.

...And then there was Chang. The big, burly, bald, bearded, big-bellied, ball-swinging bonehead was still wearing a trenchcoat for some weird reason. He was just standing there, a dopey grin on his face as he brandished his ball and chain.

As Robert got into stance, he raised an eyebrow. "Uhhh... are you really gonna fight in that? It looks uncomfortable."

Chang smiled wider. "Hey, I can wear what I want! Why don't you focus on THIS instead?!"

 **FIGHT!**

Chang swung his ball wildly around his head, gathering up huge momentum before bringing it soaring forward with an overhead smash. Robert was quick enough to dodge it, but the ball still made a huge impact on the arena floor.

Robert leaped at Chang and planted a foot into his chest, then pushed off and spun his body around for a second kick to the face. Chang was sent stumbling backwards, as Robert landed gracefully on his feet. The giant man merely laughed as he shook his head, completely unfazed by the powerful double kick.

"KOU KEN!" Robert swung his leg at an arc and produced a fireball that soared towards the recovering Chang.

"Geh!" Chang scoffed as he swung his iron ball and destroyed the fireball mid-flight.

Chang approached slowly, still ominously swinging his iron ball above his head. Robert was light on his feet, ever-vigilant and ready to dodge the deadly weapon.

Finally, Chang unleashed it.

WHOOOSH!

The iron ball soared towards Robert's feet, but Robert gave a "heh" and easily leaped over it. This was it; Chang was completely wide open for a flying kick to the face...

But what happened next surprised everyone in the arena.

Robert was completely caught off guard when Chang's trenchcoat opened up and Choi Bounge came flying at him with a dropkick to the stomach.

"What in the hell-OUUUUUUUF...!"

Robert was sent to the ground hard, his attack interrupted. As he rolled over in pain, he looked up... but Choi was nowhere to be found. All he could see was a laughing Chang, his trenchcoat once again closed.

"What the... that little man just leaped out of his coat!" Shen Woo commented.

"HEY! THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Yuri complained.

"Yuri, watch your mouth!" Takuma berated. "But I do agree, that is BULLSHIT!"

"Whoa... somebody REALLY wants to win. Heh. Genius." Kyo made light of it.

"He can't do that to Robert!" Ryo complained. "That guy has no shame!"

Terry turned to Kim, who had a vengeful look on his face. "Looks like your mates are up to no good. Guess they haven't learned their lesson, eh?"

Kim continued to stare at Chang, his arms folded. "I will punish them later. Right now, karma will deal with them."

"You really think Robert can do it?" Andy chimed in.

"Yes. A fighter who competes with treachery is doomed to fail. A pure soul who fights clean will be the one to deliver justice to him. Robert Garcia will win this fight."

Chizuru was livid. A competitor was shamelessly cheating, right in front of her! She wanted to go out there and put a stop to it right now... but she feared Geese's wrath if she interrupted a fight. With a sigh, she approached Geese's VIP seat and addressed him.

"You saw that, didn't you? Chang Koehan is obviously cheating."

Geese merely smiled and shrugged. "Who gives a damn? Let em fight!"

Chizuru stomped her foot angrily. "We've got to set clear boundaries with these people! If we let them start cheating like this, there's no limit to what they'll do!"

Geese laughed. "Oh don't be such a hardass. If Garcia can't beat those two dumbasses, then he has no business being in this competition. Just let em fight."

"B-but..."

"Chizuru. Let them. Fight."

"Alright, fine! God!"

Chizuru angrily stormed off, that meeting accomplishing absolutely nothing. This treachery would continue, unopposed.

"Impossible man..." Chizuru grumbled to herself.

The fight continued, as Chang continued to back up Robert. He flung his ball at Robert's head, the Kyokugen fighter dodging it. But Chang tugged on the chain and sent the flying towards the back of his head; luckily Robert's reflexes allowed him to dodge it. Chang flung the ball at his feet, and Robert exercised great agility by jumping right at the moment of impact and landing on top of the ball.

"Now you're mine..." Robert threatened as he pushed off of the ball and came soaring towards Chang with his foot extended, engulfed in a glowing orange chi.

"HIEN SHIPPU KYAKU!"

His devastating flying kick struck Chang dead-on, his raging tiger chi strengthening his blow tenfold and felling the huge man. As Chang hit the ground, the earth seemed to rumble from his huge impact.

Robert approached the dazed Chang, cracking his knuckles as he prepared to dish out some major justice.

Unfortunately... that flying kick didn't take out the OTHER nuisance.

With a cackle, Choi leaped out of Chang's trenchcoat and dived on Robert's face. Robert was blinded, stumbling around while Choi clung to him like an annoying monkey.

"AH! AHH! You little bastard! GET OFF!"

The helpless Robert was distracted long enough for Chang to get back to his feet. When Chang spotted Robert, spinning around and trying to pry Choi off of him like some cheesy slapstick comedy... he tilted his head back and laughed.

"GEHHHH HEH HEH HEH HEHHHH!"

Ryo was getting pissed off. His body burned with dragon fire, his fists and teeth clenching. He was about 0.0000001 seconds away from getting out of his seat and knocking Chang's stupid head off.

But as his body began to move, Takuma extended a hand and stopped him.

"Don't."

"B-but...!"

"Papa!" Yuri whined. "We have to go help Robbie! They can't just cheat like that!"

"Believe in Robert. Victory is already within his grasp."

"B-but dad..."

"Just watch."

Ryo rolled his eyes and plopped down, defeated. "Hmph. Fine."

Yuri plopped down right next to him, making the exact same "Hmph!"

Meanwhile, the struggle was real. Choi had gotten off of Robert's face and gotten behind him, sliding his arms underneath Robert's armpits and pinning them backwards. Choi may have been a midget... but his strength was still there. Robert's arms were useless, as Chang approached from the front.

"Geh heh heh... don't worry Robert. I won't aim for your head. That might kill you." he taunted, swinging his iron ball. "I'll just knock the wind out of you! GEH HEH HEH!"

"HNG! NNNGH! You... won't... get away with this Chang!" Robert snarled.

"Correction! YOU won't get away FROM THIS!"

Chang swung his iron ball above his head and began spinning it. Faster...faster...faster... the ball must have been going 60 miles an hour. This would no doubt leave Robert a broken, battered man.

"ROBBIE NOOOOOOOOO!" Yuri cried, tears flying from her eyes.

"G-guys... this is a friendly competition! Please!" Chizuru begged. "GEESE!"

But Geese was just laughing. The man seemed to not care at all. Maybe he was just that confident in Robert... or maybe he was just showing his true colors, blind to the well-being of others.

Takuma stood to his feet, tightening his belt as he put on the most stern face he could muster.

"ROBERT!" he boomed, thrusting his finger. "BELIEVE IN YOUR POWER! UNLEASH YOUR KYOKUGEN MIGHT!"

Robert looked up at the stands, bowing to his master as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tensed up his muscles; his body began to shake as an orange glow engulfed him.

"Hnnnnnnnnnnghhhhhhhhh..."

Chang was a little surprised, but unfazed as he continued to spin his iron ball.

"HOOOOOAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Robert's voice was now a roar as his chi manifested, traveling to his legs, strengthening them until they contained the might of 10 men.

"T-take him out already Chang!" Choi squeaked.

"With pleasure. YAAAAAAAAH!"

Chang lunged forward and let his iron ball fly, soaring towards Robert at deadly speed. The impact would be tremendous...

The entire coliseum sat in silence, their breath held...

"HIIIIIYAAAAAAAH!" Robert kia'd as he threw a traditional Karate front kick, infused with his chi. His foot collided with the iron ball, sending it flying backwards as if it was a mere kickball.

"NO WAY!"

"Holy shit, Robert!"

"Daaaaaamn!"

The iron ball flew backwards and met Chang's face, knocking him silly as the burly ex-con skidded across the arena floor for several yards. When at last he slid to a halt... getting back to his feet was a pipe dream.

"N-NO! CHANG!" Choi cried, now realizing the tables have turned.

"And as for YOU..." Robert spat.

Garcia fell backwards and landed on his back, smashing Choi against the ground like a cockroach.

"Aughhhh..." Choi groaned as Robert got to his feet and scooped up the little man. With a kiai, Robert threw Choi into the air, spun around to gather momentum, and knocked the living daylights out of him with a chi-infused kick. He went soaring like a football, touching down perfectly on top of Chang's fat belly.

 **WINNER: ROBERT GARCIA**

"ROBBIE YOU'RE AMAZING! I LOVE YOU!" Yuri bounced up and down and squealed for her lover.

"YOU DA MAN, ROBERT!" Ryo saluted his best friend with a victorious fist pump.

"Garcia pulled it off... I should never have even worried, heh heh." Terry laughed.

"Yes... Robert is not the one you should be worrying about." Kim growled, cracking his knuckles.

"Whoa, Kim... where you going man?"

"I need to go teach my esteemed colleagues a lesson about fighting fair."

"Ouch... feel bad for them. Heh."

The officials didn't have to take care of Chang and Choi; Kim personally went out there and dragged them off by himself. Afterwards, there was a little break in the action.

"Whew... thank goodness Robert pulled it off." Chizuru sighed.

"Yep." Geese grinned, his hand on his chin. His shit-eating grin was much like one that someone would have when admitting they're right.

"...Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"Did you know that he'd win?"

"Look, I've known Garcia for a very long time okay? Long enough to know that he wasn't going to lose to some two-bit, lameass dirty cons like those two idiots. You should chill out a little, eh Chizuru?"

Chizuru rolled her eyes. "In any case, I'm glad you were right... whew..."

"Yes... and now, I think it's time to have a little fun."

"Hm?"

Geese rose from his VIP seat, adjusting his red hakama before doing a few stretches.

"Ahhhhhh... I'm feeling good right now, Chizuru. Why don't you go ahead and announce me as the next fight?"

Chizuru jumped slightly. "B-but... I haven't give you your notice yet! You're not supposed to fight next- AHH!"

Chizuru yelped loudly when Geese brought his fist crashing into the nearby wall by her head, leaving a huge crack in the concrete. When he removed his fist, there was no blood; only a fist-shaped hole in the wall.

"I don't care." he softly spoke in her ear, his intimidating frame almost touching her. "Just bump the next fight over one, and let me fight next. It's not hard, Chizuru. Just do it."

Chizuru was slightly shaken up by the fearsome man, but she flicked her hair and played it off.

"Fine, fine. I'll do it. Jeez, a lot of rule neglect today. Wonder why I even made any in the first place."

Geese laughed as she walked away. "Live a little, Chizuru! Pull that stick out! Before I pull it out for you!"

 **If John Crawley was supposed to be a captain of the Navy, then why the hell is he always around airplanes? He even OWNS an airplane! He wears aviator sunglasses, for pete's sake! I mean, if you're gonna rip off Guile then you might as well go all the way.**

 **Next chapter: Geese Howard steps into the ring! To describe it in one word: REPPUKEN!**

 **Rise of the ninjas! Beloved fan favorites clash with lesser known underdogs to be crowned King of the Kunai! Which rooftop-sprinting, shuriken-throwing badasses will prevail? And is this guy REALLY who he says he is?!**

 **All this and MORE, coming at you next chapter! Stay tuned! And try to keep up, I update this thing every five days or so : )**

 **Keep those reviews a rolling!**


	7. Chapter 7: Opening Round, pt 3

**It's fun to mix things up. Some fights technical and realistic... some fights with explosive magic and supernatural aura. I mean, there's almost 100 fights in this story. I HAVE to find ways to keep you entertained. So, just be ready for a little bit of everything : )**

 **When doing fight scenes, using a fighter's movelist for reference is more like a... guideline. Writing a good fight scene is not about just using the fighter's scripted moves; it's about understanding what that character is about. As long as you understand the character, what's wrong with being a little innovative? Just a little : D**

 **Shoutout to the guest reviewer, who was kind enough to apologize. You are forgiven with open arms, my friend! Thank you for your continued support!**

 **Enjoy the action.**

Several minutes passed, and the next fight still had yet to commence. In the stands, people were getting restless; however, this served to only increase the profits of this event, as droves of fans left the stands to go buy snacks and drinks, and purchase official King of Fighters merchandise.

Meanwhile, in the exclusive stands, the fighters themselves were also wriggling in their seats.

"What's the holdup?" Kyo grumbled.

"Where's Chizuru? Do you see her anywhere?" Goro asked.

"No, she's gone. Don't see Geese either..."

"Maybe there was a fight backstage and she had to go break it up?" Terry suggested.

"Oh no! Mai's back there..." Andy fretted.

"Cmoooon! Let's see some punchy punchy!" Ash whined.

As the break in the action continued, a few triumphant heroes emerged from the locker rooms. Robert Garcia rejoined his colleagues with a smile on his face, having been medically cleared and perfectly healthy.

"Ayyyyy there's the man!" Ryo clapped.

"ROBBIE! YOU WERE GREAT!" Yuri squealed as she dived into his arms and started assaulting his face with kisses.

"Hahaha... I couldn't have done it without you guys. Thanks for always having my back." Robert grinned, embracing Yuri tight and kissing her cheek.

"...Garcia!" a stern voice boomed.

"G-guh!"

Robert went rigid as he was met by the intense face of Takuma. The old master stared for seconds, making Robert's skin crawl; was he going to berate him? Maybe he didn't like Yuri kissing him...

...But to his massive relief, Takuma only had words of praise.

"You did well. You have brought great honor to the Kyokugenryu name."

Hearing his master's acknowledgement brought Garcia to an immediate blubber. "M...M...T-T-T...S-Sensei! Th-thank you so much for your kind words! I... I am humbled by your-"

"Let go of my daughter."

"Y-yes master."

Elsewhere in the stands, Leona returned to her fellow soldiers and was met by applause.

"Leona! You did great!" Whip cheered as she embraced Leona, the blue-haired girl not returning the favor but still appreciating it nonetheless.

"You did awesome, kiddo." Ralf gave a thumbs up.

"Heh, you did way better than this lunkhead." Clark teased.

"Grrrr, what was that?!"

"Hey, it's true. You got dropped multiple times! Leona didn't get a finger laid on her."

"Grrr... well at least I knocked my opponent out cold! Ha!"

"Quiet." Heidern commanded. "I don't want to hear your chest-puffing. Victory is all that matters... and the two of you did great."

Those were the last words shared between the Ikari Warriors, as they all clammed up and sat in silence to await the next fight. As Leona sat, she felt the affectionate hand of Heidern on her shoulder... and for one rare moment, the aloof girl cracked a smile.

FINALLY, the painful wait ended when Chizuru emerged to the ring with a microphone in her hand. She was immediately met with applause, from an audience just grateful for the wait to be over.

"EVERYONE! I have an announcement!" she addressed. "There's been a slight change in schedule! The next fight will be... Geese Howard vs Jack the Ripper!"

The shock and confusion only lasted a couple of seconds before the crowd exploded with an ear-splitting reception. This is who they wanted to see: the man feared by all, the architect of the legendary King of Fighters tournament... the true kingpin of Southtown in everyone's hearts.

Geese Howard was about to step in the ring once again.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #10: GEESE HOWARD VS JACK THE RIPPER**

The first man in the ring was shrouded in mystery; he wore a midnight blue cloak with the Union Jack plastered on the front of it, as well as a matching tophat. A scary looking mask hid his identity. But the real noticeable thing about this guy were the huge chrome claws on each hand. If this guy really WAS a serial killer, and that possibility was becoming quite probable, those were no doubt his tools of the trade.

"...Am I reading this right?" Ryo inquired. "It says on the huge TV that Geese is fighting... Jack the Ripper?!"

"Jack the Ripper... as in the infamous murderer from London?" Robert quizzically scratched his head. "That's impossible..."

"Obviously he's some freak in a costume. Geese will destroy this guy in seconds." Kyo replied.

"Too bad. It'd be kinda fun to see Geese get chopped up, eh Terry? Andy?" Joe joked. But neither of the Bogard brothers were in a jovial mood; they were far too absorbed in this moment, their minds racing with a complex mix of emotions.

At last, the moment everyone was waiting for came: an appropriate level of applause introduced the blonde man as he came strutting out to the ring, his shoulders broad and his head high. On his face, he wore that classic cocky grin; even after all these years, it seems Geese never lost his legendary confidence.

"There he is... the man himself..." Ryo solemnly stated. "Can't say this is a happy reunion for me."

"Me too..." Yuri seconded, recounting that awful time Mr. Big kidnapped her on Geese's orders.

"Geese... seeing him fight again won't be nostalgic." Takuma grunted.

"I dunno guys... I know Geese was awful and all, but do you REALLY want to root for a guy named after a serial killer?" Robert inquired.

"I'd take a serial killer over Geese any day." Takuma abruptly shot back.

"Sheesh... I just don't know about you guys."

Back in the combat zone, Geese was finally ready. He stood tall and proud, his arms folded as he scanned his opponent up and down.

"Why don't you show me your face, bozo?" he immediately taunted.

That little challenge was met by a creepy, unsettling chuckle...

"Hyeh hyeh hyeh hyeh..."

Geese tensed up... but he didn't dare take a step back.

The masked figure began to spin around in place, picking up speed with each passing second... until he was naught but a whirlwind, unable to be seen by human eyes. His tophat blew into the stands, followed by several small pieces of cloak floating around the arena; it was being absolutely shredded, like a cat tearing into toilet paper. This went on for several seconds, until the figure started to slow down... slower... until he finally stopped in place, identity revealed.

He was a punk-looking guy with a wild red mohawk, a red shirt, red socks, and a blue vest and slacks. His face exuded a wild, unpredictable air about him, definitely violent in nature. His tongue rolled across his lips, perhaps imagining the taste of Geese's red nectar on them.

"I WANT YOUR BLOOD, GEESE!" he howled. "I WANT TO BATHE IN ITS WARMTH! AHHHHH... SO WARM, BETWEEN MY TOES!"

His chilling threat immediately sent goosebumps to everyone in the Coliseum; whoever this guy was, it didn't look like he was here for friendly sport.

"Whoa... this guy is a FREAK." K' spat.

"Okay, I change my mind. Can I root for Geese just this one time?" Ryo seeked his father's permission.

"Hmph... just root for them both to kill each other." Takuma snorted.

 **FIGHT!**

The psycho immediately sprinted forward, claws raised, intending to strike down Geese where he stands. But the composed Geese didn't retreat an inch, getting into stance and fixing his eyes on the wild man.

"REPPUKEN!" Geese threw his arm in an uppercut motion, producing a torrent of his powerful blue chi that surfed along the ground and homed in on Jack. But the serial killer cackled as he leaped to the side, avoiding the projectile while maintaining his forward speed.

"Damn, he's closing in fast. Geese better move." Kyo declared.

Despite the impending threat of Jack, Geese didn't budge at all; with an annoyed sigh, he continued firing.

"REPPUKEN! REPPUKEN! REPPUKEN!"

The mighty blue waves of Geese's raw power continued to soar toward the serial killer, but he leaped left and right out of the way of each approaching one. With each yard he drew closer to Geese, the more his laughter intensified... and the higher his claws raised.

"Geese is a statue right now. If he doesn't move, this guy's gonna tear into him!" Joe cried.

Jack was approaching dangerous vicinity now. He was full on cackling, his eyes dilated, his tongue flailing about as he imagined the sweet sensation of Geese's blood coating him. With a frightening scream, the serial killer leaped high into the air and descended upon Geese, claws poised to commence their murderous art.

"The killer's closing in!"

"Oh snap! This guy's gonna kill him!"

"GEESE!"

Geese's body began to course with a dazzling blue light; the ground all around him kicked up dust as his immense aura swirled around him, traveling through his entire being. With an intense face, he raised his arms above his head...

"RISING STORM!" he bellowed as he brought his hands crashing into the Earth. Beneath his feet a tremendous eruption occurred, opening up a gargantuan blue geyser of his chi, shooting up so high that it reached the top of the Coliseum.

Jack was unfortunate enough to have been directly over Geese's head when this massive output of energy sprouted underneath him; he took the equivalent of a nuclear blast point-blank as his body was launched into the stratosphere.

And then, moments later... peace. Geese's energy disappeared as quickly as it had manifested. The blonde man merely folded his arms and walked away; a whole minute later, Jack's unconscious body fell back down to Earth.

 **WINNER: GEESE HOWARD**

"One hit... one f***ing hit..." Kyo stated, his voice not hiding its shock.

"Damn, Geese has still got it after all this time. That guy didn't even scratch him." Joe pointed out, his eyes still wide.

"I'm not impressed at all!" Krauser insulted. "His moves are still as weak and predictable as I remember them."

As for the Bogard brothers... it was an awkward moment for them, to say the least. They continued to sit in silence, unsure of how to properly convey the intense vortex of complex emotions they carried inside right now. Andy fiddled with his hair, while Terry played with his thumbs. How could these two brothers, always kind at heart, express witnessing their eternal enemy score such a decisive victory?

"H-he..." Andy finally stammered.

Terry snapped out of it and looked over, awaiting Andy's reaction.

"He did... well." the brother said awkwardly, scratching his head.

"Y-yeah... he did." Terry nodded, straightening his cap.

That was all that was said... and that was enough. Just those few words shared gave them closure, and allowed them to move on from this moment with comfort. It wasn't much, but this was huge progression for the two brothers who lived the shakiest of pasts with the man in question.

As Geese walked back to his VIP seat, Billy Kane came rushing behind him with a towel.

"Damn fine job, boss. I knew that guy wouldn't lay a paw on you." Billy complimented, draping the towel over his shoulders. "You were awesome, sir. You've never looked b-"

"I'm not satisfied, Billy." Geese interrupted.

"E-eh?!"

Geese stopped walking abruptly, forcing Billy to slam the brakes after he carried on a few more steps.

"Just look at me. I don't even need this towel! My skin is still cool and soft, craving the heat and pain of combat. And now I have to go back to my cozy seat and continue watching these ants struggle. I'm so frustrated!"

Billy took a step back; Geese using the word "frustrated" was a huge red light.

"W-well sir, maybe you could convince Chizuru to let you pick your next opponent."

Geese put a hand to his chin. "Hmmm... you're right. Gah, but she'll nag me to death about it. She's been yapping in my ear all day about not following the rules."

Billy shrugged. "Well sir, there's only 40 left after this first round. The 40 that advance are moving on for a reason; because they deserve to be at the highest level of competition. Surely you'll find someone in the next round worthy of a scrap... h-hopefully not me."

Billy yelped as Geese slapped him on the back, a smile on his face. "Yes! Very good. You're a good man, Billy. Tell you what... why don't you come chill with me in my sweet VIP booth? You don't have to sit with the rest of these losers."

That perked up Billy in a flash. "I couldn't be more delighted, boss man!"

After the craze of Geese fighting finally wore off, the tournament picked back up and resumed as scheduled.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #11: MAI SHIRANUI VS SOKAKU MOCHIZUKI**

There was a predictably overwhelming reception as Mai Shiranui came strutting into the ring. The boisterous, bouncy ninja girl was as exuberant as ever: spinning around, waving, striking poses, dancing... and the crowd worshiped her. She was aesthetic perfection: an elegant glowing flame that attracted the multitudes of fanatical moths.

"Man... is there a more flawless creation of beauty in the universe than Mai?" Shingo asked a rhetorical question.

"Good thing Benimaru's not here to hear that." Goro joked.

On the other side, a stranger to most made his way to the ring. Nobody knew who he was, but they all booed him for the simple fact that he dared to oppose their goddess Mai Shiranui. But Sokaku didn't seem to care; his face was hidden by a huge straw hat, obscuring his emotions from the world, as well as the ambitions of his cold heart.

This man was a descendant of an ancient bloodline of monks, specializing in a unique kind of... otherwordly... magic. Sokaku had but one duty: to destroy the Shiranui clan, their sworn enemy for generations. It was a long, ancient, stupid tradition that Sokaku was too stubbornly honor-bound to uphold.

The truth is, he didn't even hate Mai; the sight of her made his heart race like that of any other man. But to honor his clan, this blindly pious practitioner of the dark arts would oppose her for all eternity without question.

When these (onesided) enemies at last met in the ring, Sokaku brandished his khakkhara towards her, the rings on the staff making a sharp jingle from the abrupt movement.

"Mai Shiranui! I have waited for this moment. Long have I dreamed of the day I can finally defeat you in battle."

Mai rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Because I haven't been dreaming of you. In fact, I haven't even thought about you for a second until now. Why don't you just get a life, dude?!"

Sokaku slammed the butt of his staff against the ground, producing another annoying jingle. "Upholding my clan's honor IS my life... and honor demands that I destroy you."

Mai shook her head. "Dude... you're never gonna enjoy life if you keep clinging to dumb things from the past."

 **FIGHT!**

Sokaku brought his fingers up to his face in a ninjitsu gesture. With the other hand, he began to violently shake his staff; the rings jingled wildly, producing an ear-splitting melody that filled everyone in the Coliseum with discomfort.

With a booming yell, Sokaku let loose this ominous message:

"DEMONS OF HELL, GRANT ME YOUR POWER!"

Mai took a step back and steeled herself. She looked down at the ground; a huge shadow was looming in. Her eyes quickly shot up to the sky, and the culprit was revealed: black clouds were forming fast, making a huge sheet of darkness to drown out the sun.

"Whoa... that just came out of nowhere." K' nonchalantly mentioned.

Terrible lightning began to crackle; the Earth rumbled as Sokaku maintained his concentration. He continued shaking his staff, his fingers close to his face as he completed this macabre ceremony.

Screams broke out in the Coliseum as a huge rift opened up in the ground, spouting forth hellfire and demonic roars.

"Holy shit! What the f*** is this?!" Kyo yelled.

"Okay, I'm about to bail. Seriously." Ryo seconded, trembling.

"WAAAAAAH K' HOLD MEEE!" Kula cried as she dived into his arms, smothering his face.

"MMPH MM- Kula I can't see-MMMPH!" K' tried to voice his discomfort, but he was muffled by Kula's terrified body pressed against him.

"Th-this is some ancient voodoo shit!" Duck King cried.

"It's not voodoo, you dolt." Yamazaki corrected. "It's something a LOT more terrifying..."

"Wh-what... seriously?"

"Yep. Satan's little friends are coming out to play... hahahahahahahaaaa..."

"Ryuji... get the hell away from me."

If this wasn't bad enough, the TRUE fright was about to come; before everyone's horrified eyes, a pitch black oni crawled from the depths and emitted a mighty roar. He was huge, with red eyes... but his body wasn't solid. He seemed to consist of some luminous spiritual essence, as Sokaku didn't possess the power to make a solid one.

"AHHHH! THAT THING IS HUGE!"

"LET ME OUTTA HERE!"

"Mai! I've got to help her!" Andy blurted. "I... I... I can't just...!"

"Andy, she's got to do this." Terry calmed him down. "You don't wanna get her disqualified, do you? Mai is a strong woman; she can handle this."

"But look at that thing!"

"And look at the power Mai possesses."

Andy snapped out of his hysteria and looked down; Mai's body was bathed in a sea of crimson flame; the true passion of her fiery spirit burning for everyone to see. At that moment, Andy realized... he didn't have to dote on her. He didn't have to coddle her. This was Mai's moment to burn brightly.

"GO!" Sokaku commanded, sending the oni charging towards Mai with its fearsome fists raised. Its arms were the biggest part of its body; one blow from those semi trucks, and Mai would be in serious hurt.

Mai showed no fear whatsoever as she charged forward, meeting the oni head on. Their bodies closed distance, and the crowd's hearts sank.

"Holy shit, is she crazy?"

"MAAAAAAAI!" Andy squealed.

FWOOOOSH!

Mai's body, wrapped in a cocoon of fire, charged ahead and plowed directly into the demon. Her fiery spirit proved superior, burning through the monster completely as his insides were turned to ash. His howl of languish echoed as his body dissolved from the inside, slowly consuming him until nothing remained.

As Mai exited the demon, she continued sprinting towards Sokaku, the monk struck hard with shock and disbelief.

"YEEEEAH! Mai burned that demon to a crisp!" Joe cheered.

"See? Nothing to worry about, bro." Terry smiled.

Sokaku cursed; he had to act fast and produce a defense mechanism to stop her!

The monk quickly raised his staff, slamming the butt of it on the ground and producing two smaller dark rifts on each side of him. With a scowl, he awaited Mai...

Andy gasped as he saw it; Mai was walking into a trap!

"MAI NO! DON'T-"

But it was too late. As Mai closed in to deliver a critical strike, two giant demon arms sprouted from the portals and slammed into her, squishing her like a sandwich cookie.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Mai was floored from just one hit; her body battered and in tremendous agony. She just laid there, incapable of moving a muscle. In the blink of an eye, it seemed hopeless for her...

...But there was one little ace in the hole. Although Mai had gone down, Sokaku was also on shaky legs. He was unable to stay upright, collapsing to his knees; he had overexerted himself to the point of exhaustion after producing two spells in rapid succession.

At this moment, it became a new contest: one of resolve and willpower.

"CMON MAI! GET UP! MAI! MAI! MAI! MAI! MAI!" Andy leaped to his feet and chanted her name.

Mai was in deep pain, but she managed to turn and her hazy eyes captured Andy's outline. A tiny smile spread on her lips; seeing him up there, passionately chanting her name... it set her heart ablaze. Andy was always so reserved; this moment of intense fire from him, all for HER, filled her with an immeasurable euphoria.

"Andy... m-my... love... I'll win for you..." Mai weakly mumbled.

It took a bit of effort for her, but Mai Shiranui slowly started to regain herself. She started on her hands and knees, then worked her way up to a foot, then another foot, and finally... she pushed up and regained her stance.

With a spunky smile, she turned around to face the crowd. Thrusting her hand, making her breasts bounce wildly, she proudly proclaimed:

"NIPPON ICHI!"

The crowd exploded with cheer, all of them behind her in this powerful test of true strength.

"ALRIGHT MAI! FINISH THIS CREEP!" Joe exclaimed.

"GO FOR IT MAI!" Terry and Andy shouted in unison.

With a nod, Mai turned and faced Sokaku, who was still huffing from fatigue.

"I-impossible...!" he cursed.

Mai sprinted towards him with ninja speed, closing distance in record time. Sokaku was forced to scramble backwards, his defenses lowered.

"Damn it! Grrrr... take this! CALTROPS!"

Sokaku quickly reached into his garb and grabbed a handful of sharp, pointy little objects. Without hesitation, he flung them all at Mai.

"I don't think so!" Mai boasted as she reached into her breasts and whipped out two fans, spreading them. With dizzying hand speed she swatted away all the ballistic objects like ping pong balls. She then leaped high into the air, preparing to strike.

"DOUBLE KACHOSEN!" she declared as she let the fans fly, soaring towards Sokaku with an intense velocity.

The monk hissed as he brought his staff up and twirled it rapidly to protect himself; the fans bounced off of the hard wooden handle, landing far out of reach. But the fans were merely a distraction, to mask her TRUE attack; Sokaku was completely helpless as he looked up just in time to see the sharp point of Mai's elbow extend directly into his nose.

"UAAAAAAAAAAGH!" the monk howled with pain as his nose broke, blood flying from his nostrils as he fell backwards and hit the ground.

"Ouch... his nose is f***ed." K' winced.

Mai leaped up into the air once again; Sokaku was still laid out, unable to defend himself from this punishing attack that would put him out for sure. Like a beautiful phoenix, a trail of fire followed as she descended upon him with her elbow drawn back. When she soared into him from above, she unleashed a vicious elbow deep into his stomach, sapping any remote chance he possibly had of getting back to his feet.

 **WINNER: MAI SHIRANUI**

"MAAAAAI! YOU WERE AMAZING!" Andy laughed as he leaped up and threw his fists in the air.

Mai immediately leaped up to her feet, giddily bouncing and arms waving with a joy like a 99% off sale at a candy store. The crowd was on their feet, clapping and screaming for the girl they adored, in pure awe of her epic victory.

Mai giggled at her adoring fans as she jumped up and down, her abundant bosom so out of control that they flew out of her top.

"ANDY MY LOVE! I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU! I LOVE YOU! Oops, my boobs are out! Tee hee~"

"Oh brother..." Andy facepalmed. Just like that, he and his blushing red face were sent back into defensive mode; Mai had an uncanny ability to bring that out in him.

It took a few minutes to recover from that excitement, but the ninja action resumed afterwards with...

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #12: EIJI KISARAGI VS HANZO HATTORI**

"...Okay, am I seriously reading this right? It says Eiji is fighting... Hattori Hanzo?!" Ryo exclaimed, baffled.

"Hattori Hanzo... as in the legendary Iga ninja lord?" Robert pondered, scratching his head. He was fully aware of this total deja vu moment.

"Man, this day is turning crazy! I mean, am I supposed to believe that THE Hattori Hanzo is fighting in our tournament?"

"Hey dude, we already had a guy claiming to be Jack the Ripper today. As far as I'm concerned, a legendary war hero from the Tokugawa era isn't that far fetched."

"I'm curious to see what this guy looks like..." Andy mentioned. As a ninja himself, Andy heard many tales about the exploits of the great warrior. For him, this would be kind of like meeting a celebrity...

In the ring, Eiji Kisaragi was already out there waiting. The veteran ninja stayed stone-like as always, his arms folded and his eyes lacking any positive emotions. The truth is, he wasn't even thinking about his opponent; the only thoughts in his mind were of how fast he could finish this bothersome chore and be one step closer to his TRUE goal: facing Ryo Sakazaki and beating him to a pulp. No, not just Ryo... he would destroy them ALL. Takuma, Robert, Yuri... Kyokugenryu would fall before this tournament was over.

"Look, that's him!" Yuri pointed.

In the sky, a large blue kite descended from the clouds. And attached to that kite... was Eiji Kisaragi's opponent. He was wearing a light blue ninja garb with white outlines, with black boots and a white headband on his head to keep up his tall, brown, spiky hair. As he approached closer to the ground, everyone was finally able to get a good look at the handsome young man.

"No way that's Hattori Hanzo. This kid looks like he's just old enough to drink!" Ryo exclaimed.

"Oh wow, he's kinda dreamy~" Yuri swooned.

"Looks like this guy took some hairstyling lessons from you, eh Joe?" Terry joked.

"Hmph. I wear it better." Joe looked away with his nose up.

When the kite was a reasonable distance from the ground (by ninja standards), Hanzo leaped from it and gracefully landed on his feet. He stood upright with a stern face, and turned to stare down his opponent.

Eiji got into stance, staring right back. "...You are ninja?"

Hanzo bowed and then got into stance as well. "I am THE ninja."

 **FIGHT!**

Eiji pushed forward; he wanted to end this nuisance quickly. He sprinted and closed distance, moving so fast that his feet didn't even actually move. Afterimages appeared and followed behind him, a testament to how inhumanly fast he was moving.

Eiji straightened out his fingers and unleashed a deep horizontal stroke, his glowing orange chi razor-sharp like a samurai's steel. Hanzo leaped high to avoid it, taking to the skies to launch his attack.

"DOUBLE REKKOZAN!" Hanzo yelled; his fists glowed blue as he thrust his hands forward and unleashed two large shuriken, made from his own energy.

The glowy blue shuriken soared towards Eiji, sure to hit... but the swift ninja phase-shifted to the left with blurring speed, and the projectiles exploded on the ground upon impact.

As soon as Hanzo's feet touched the ground, Eiji was on him and their hands went flying. Eiji swung at him with two chi-infused slashes, but Hanzo moved his head both times and countered with a palm strike to Eiji's stomach. Eiji was hit, but didn't back down as he threw a kick to Hanzo's body; Hanzo blocked it and returned with his own kick. Eiji blocked it, and Hanzo followed up by leaping with a spinning kick to the head; Eiji effortlessly swayed his head back to avoid it. Eiji drew his palm back, preparing to win this battle of close range.

"KIKOUHOU!" he thrust his palm forward with a point-blank burst of chi energy, equivalent to a shotgun blast.

Unfortunately, Hanzo was a step too quick; he sensed the attack coming forward and dived to the ground as it whizzed over him. Seizing his advantageous position, Hanzo hooked his feet around Eiji's leg and pulled back, sweeping Eiji's leg out from under him and causing the purple ninja to fall to the ground.

Hanjo phase-shifted into the air, his fist raised above his head, then rained down on Eiji's stomach with an explosive punch. The purple ninja cried out in pain, his body folding upwards like a chair before going limp.

"Ouch! This ninja is legit! He's giving Kisaragi a run for his money." Ryo whistled.

As Hanzo crawled off of Eiji to reset, Eiji seized the moment and attacked with a sweep kick, then doubled up by throwing a second sweep kick as he was returning to his feet. Both missed, but it caused Hanzo to retreat far back to a safe distance and give Eiji time to recover.

Eiji mean-mugged his opponent as he saw Hanzo's hand draw back; he knew he was going to throw a shuriken.

"REKKOZAN!" Hanzo initiated as he let his hand fly forward with a shuriken of impressive size and velocity. This particular one looked like it could hurt big time.

The projectile soared towards Eiji... but the purple ninja chuckled.

"RYU EI JIN!" Eiji spread his arms wide, producing a horizontal arc of defensive chi that remained in place instead of going forward. Hanzo's shuriken not only was blocked by the energy barrier... it came soaring back towards him at twice the speed!

Hanzo was completely caught off guard, and he received his own projectile full-force. His body was sent sliding backwards from the power and impact, stunning the ninja big time. He remained on his feet, however.

"Ha! Now you know projectiles are useless against me!" Eiji boasted as he leaped high and came soaring towards the stunned opponent with his foot extended.

"Here comes the hurt..." Ryo mentioned.

When Eiji's foot connected with Hanzo's face, he began unleashing a flurry of lightning-fast rapid kicks in succession. The speed and output of these kicks was impossible by normal human standards; only a select few could strike so quick.

Eiji completed the nasty volley with a backflip kick; this one sent Hanzo down to the ground finally, and Eiji backflipped through the air to a safe distance.

"That's probably it right there..." Robert nodded.

...But the Kyokugen warriors were dead wrong. Hanzo Hattori DID get back up; his face was a battered, bloody mess, with swelling in multiple areas... but the determined ninja brought his hand up and wiped away a trickle of blood from his lips before getting back into stance.

"Whoa... gotta hand it to this kid. He's definitely got heart." Ryo complimented.

"Yeah... but I can't imagine this lasting much longer. Eiji's got the advantage big time." Robert seconded.

Eiji folded his arms and taunted. "You should stay down, poser. You're giving the great legend a bad name."

Hanzo said nothing in return; he merely drew his hand back as if to throw another projectile.

Eiji immediately prepared to intercept it. "Again? You haven't learned your lesson, it seems."

"REKKOZAN!" Hanzo threw his shuriken... but this one was a little different that the other ones. Instead of flying forward with great velocity, this one seemed to travel at a snail's pace, creeping towards the purple ninja painfully slow.

Eiji rolled his eyes. "I told you, projectiles are USELESS against- OOOOGH!"

The purple ninja's arrogance prevented him from seeing Hanzo's trap; the clever ninja leaped over Eiji and got behind him, kangaroo kicking him in the back of the head. As Eiji stumbled forward drunkenly, he plowed headfirst into the slow shuriken that Hanzo had launched.

"OUCH! Holy shit, did you see that? That was a nasty little trap!" Ryo exclaimed.

"Yeah, he just hit Eiji for double damage..." Robert agreed.

Eiji was in bad shape now, wobbling all over the place as his legs threatened to give out. The tables seemed to turn in an instant...

The purple ninja looked up, seeing Hanzo leaping at him... but he was too badly hurt to stop him, and Hanzo bodied him with a flying kick to the gut. Eiji went down hard, but Hanzo angrily grabbed him by the shirt and stood him up; he wanted to punish the cocky Kisaragi. Clutching his shirt tight, he took to the skies with Eiji in tow. He turned 180 in the air, until their heads were aiming at the Earth.

"Oh man... I can't watch...!" Yuri looked away.

Hanzo descended upon the ground, rapidly spinning in mid-air as a swirling tempest of blue dragons engulfed their bodies. They were falling fast and hard... the impact no doubt catastrophic on delivery.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

When at last their bodies touched down, a huge dust cloud kicked up and engulfed the entire Coliseum, blinding everyone to the outcome of that brutal slam. But one could only imagine...

The crowd sat in silence, awaiting the grand reveal with bated breath. At last, the dust dissipated, and the picture was clear: an unconscious Eiji laid out, and a victorious Hanzo standing over him.

 **WINNER: HANZO HATTORI**

"Holy... shit. Robert. That guy just trashed Kisaragi." Ryo's voice drew out the words slow and long, to emphasize his disbelief.

"I'm not sure if that's the REAL Hattori Hanzo... but I do know one thing. This ninja is the real deal." Robert replied.

Andy looked away, seething with jealousy. No, he wasn't jealous of Hanzo's skills... he was afraid Mai would find him attractive.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #13: BENIMARU NIKAIDO VS TEMJIN**

This tournament was more important to Benimaru than he had allowed anyone to know yet. The pillar-haired fighter had seen great success in the King of Fighters tournament, as part of the "Hero Team" on countless occassions. But this competition was different; for the first time, Benimaru stood on his own.

From here on, Benimaru must rely on his own fists, his own feet, his own resolve. This competition was a test: a question of his true ability. Without the help of "Heroes", would Benimaru have the strength to make it on his own? Where does he truly stand, among the likes of Kyo, Ash, K', Yagami?

This was Benimaru's chance to finally free himself from the chains of symbiosis; this was his chance to carve out his own legacy.

His opponent was a humble-looking Mongolian man: rather short, dressed quite casually, with a mustache and braided hair. In Benimaru's mind, this guy looked like he really didn't belong here... he looked more like some tv repairman.

"What are you doing in this competition, pops? You look like you got lost." Benimaru taunted.

The man twirled his mustache as he grinned. "I know more about the King of Fighters tournament than you do, youngster. In fact, I competed in the very FIRST King of Fighters!"

Benimaru's eyebrows raised, and he let out a whistle. "Wowww... you're quite a living fossil, eh?"

The man laughed. "Temjin, at your service."

"Benimaru." the blonde man nodded. "So what are you doing in this competition, eh? Still clinging to some stubborn old man pride?"

"Hmph. I'm sure I'm competing for a more selfless reason than you, young man." Temjin retorted.

"Oh really? Well shoot."

"I'm competing for money."

Benimaru raised an eyebrow. "Huh? The prize money? You call that selfless?!"

"You don't understand. I need the prize money... to help the children."

Benimaru took a step back. "Wh-what?! Ahhh shit! Don't tell me you're fighting to save the impoverished children of the world or something? Sheesh, way to make me the bad guy!"

Temjin chuckled. "Hohoho, well thankfully it's not that extreme. I'm just helping the children of Southtown. I intend to use the prize money to buy fresh supplies for all the schools in the city. Books, paper, printers, pens, pencils, calculators, computers... the schools are in dire need of new stuff!"

Benimaru hung his head and sighed. "Gaaaaah... damn it! Damn it, damn it! Great. Why do I have to fight the kind old man with a heart of gold? If I kick your ass, everyone'll boo me!"

Temjin got into stance, doing the traditional Sumo stomp. "Heh heh! Well, perhaps you should worry less about your reputation and more about your health!"

 **FIGHT!**

Temjin came charging forward, thrusting rapid palm strikes. He huffed and puffed, his face turning red as he kept throwing and throwing.

"HUAH HUAH HUAH HUAH HUAH HUAH HUAH HUAH!"

Benimaru backpedaled easily out of range of the attack... but Temjin just kept coming forward. He was less impressed with the attack and more with the man's heart. He just WOULD. NOT. QUIT.

"Ahhh shit... I'm very sorry about this!" Benimaru groaned as he unleashed a lightning-swift knee, faster than a bullet ejecting from a chamber. The knee struck Temjin directly in the face, slamming the brakes on his attack instantly as the older man was stunned stiff.

"Ouuugh..."

Benimaru went to the body with a nasty kick of extraordinary strength and magnitude; Temjin's round belly seemed to reverberate as he was felled, dropping to the ground in pain.

"Ouuuf... that smarts..."

Benimaru looked down at the man, shaking his head as he backed up. "Gaaaaah... this is so wrong. Why do I have to beat up on this old man? He just wants to help the children. Gaaaaaaah... damn my luck!"

As Benimaru took a second to hang his head down and curse his luck... he made the mistake of taking his eyes off of his opponent. Temjin wasn't done quite yet.

"Wha-OUUUUF?!"

Benimaru looked up just in time to see Temjin thrust a hard palm into his stomach. Benimaru's insides flared up with pain, his legs being sent backwards with a wobble.

"G-guh! You... you actually hurt me!" Benimaru wheezed.

"Good! How about part 2?" Temjin taunted as he scooped up Benimaru and put him in a bear hug. The older man began to squeeze, putting intense strain on Benimaru until his body was at an obtuse angle.

"Hnnnnnnnnnnghhhhhh..." Benimaru felt tears in his eyes as his whimpering voice was like a broken squeak toy. He underestimated this guy's Sumo strength big time.

"Give up, young man!" Temjin commanded. "Just call it quits, and I'll stop!"

Benimaru stared in defiance. "Gh...ghuk... not a... chance... pops!"

The blonde man shook aside his remorse temporarily; he was NOT about to be embarrassed by this guy. Raising his fists, an electrical aura coursed through his hands as he brought them crashing into Temjin's ears. The electrical jolt sent his body haywire, unable to control his movements any longer as his muscles went to jelly.

"GHLGHLGHLGHLHGLHGLHGHGLHGLGHLHHH" he blubbered as his body shook and spasmed, the shock making him lose control of himself.

Benimaru let out a sharp breath as he charged forward and blasted Temjin in the face with a flying knee, knocking the man out cold.

When everything calmed down, Benimaru hunched over and regained his breath. He thought about several things, mainly that he almost embarrassed himself in front of everbody. He also thought of Temjin, and his incredibly bravery.

At that moment, Benimaru felt a mix of emotions: anger, remorse, embarassment... and respect.

"Huff... huff... well old man, you never had a chance of beating me... but you've got heart for days. I have mad respect for you, pops."

 **WINNER: BENIMARU NIKAIDO**

"Man, that must have been awkward for Benimaru." Ryo shook his head.

"Yeah... old man Temjin had no business being in this competition." Robert replied.

As Ryo and Robert were talking about the awkward events, a familiar woman walked past them: a mysterious figure whom they had an unpleasant exchange with the night before. Still clad in her pink cloak, obscuring her face, and at her side... the shimmering tool she used on occasion for spilling blood. Robert was immediately snapped out of his current train of thought, as he couldn't help but focus on her spooky presence walking by.

"Ryo..." Robert whispered.

"Yeah?"

"...I know that woman."

"Really? The scary rude woman from the bar?"

"Yeah. Hold on..."

With a spontaneous burst of initiative, Robert rose to his feet and addressed the woman.

"HEY! I know who you are!"

The pink and white-clad woman stopped mid-walk, turning slowly... ominously... Ryo and Robert's skin broke out in goosebumps as she finally turned completely around, their eyes locking on to her snarling lips.

"What was that?" she asked, her voice as cold and unsettling as the first time they talked.

Robert pointed. "I know you. You used to work for Wyler, right? You were his bodyguard! How is he? How's Freia?!"

The woman shook her head. "I left them a long time ago. I don't know, nor do I care. They could be dead as far as I'm concerned."

Robert's teeth clinched; why did this woman have to speak so hostile?!

"Grrrrr... where does your allegiance lie, huh?! Tell me!" Robert demanded.

"You don't understand, boy." the woman replied. "Wyler meant nothing to me, ever. You, Wyler, Freia... none of you do! The only worth you carry is to the extent that it benefits myself. I care nothing... for the lives of others."

Robert's fists clenched. "You're a sociopath."

Her lips widened, into a sickening grin. "Label me with whatever word society has deemed fit to use. In the end, it's only a word."

The woman flicked her cloak as she turned back around, continuing on towards the locker room. But before she could get too far away... she stopped and turned around one more time, a hand on her scimitar.

"I'm here for that prize money, Garcia. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win, no matter what regulations or protocol have been put in place. If you get in my way... I WILL kill you."

 **I lost this document. Had to redo it from scratch. Whether this one is better than the original or worse, the world will never know. It will haunt me in my sleep, for all eternity.**

 **Next chapter: what happens when a remorseless killer meets a psycopathic sadomasochist? Bad, bad things...**

 **The hero who destroyed WAREZ steps in the ring! Can Yuki use his tech-savvy to overcome a bigger, stronger opponent? Or will Maxima prove that machine is superior to man?**

 **All this and... maybe some more squash matches. Tbh, I should really do more than 4 fights per chapter. I just don't want to overwhelm you with the word count. It really piles up! Let me know in the reviews, if you can handle more than what I've been dishing out (around 7000 or so) and maybe I'll do some more fights per chapter.**

 **Until next time! Stay tuned! And please review, because I'll love you for it.**


	8. Chapter 8: Opening Round, pt 4

**Five fights this chapter. I appreciate you all for sticking around. Round 1 is what separates the men from the boys; if you can survive the first 40 fights, then you can survive this fic : )**

 **Author's Pick for this chapter... I want to say #17, but #18 tops it big time. I had SO MUCH fun writing #18. I hope you all enjoy it.**

 **OPENING ROUND #14: JUBEI YAMADA VS RYOKO IZUMO**

Jubei didn't seem focused; he had this big, dopey grin on his face as he gazed at the beautiful Japanese Judoka in front of him. She was a short girl, with brown hair in a cute side pony. Judging by the credentials on her gi, she appeared to be a eighth-degree black belt.

...Of course, that wasn't all the pervy old man was staring at, as the healthy young lady had an impressive set of knockers. They were so firm, yet malleable... bouncing around in her gi with each slight movement...

"Hello? I asked you a question, mister!"

He shook his head and snapped out of it. "S-sorry, what was that missy?"

"I asked what your rank is."

Jubei stood tall, proudly clutching his belt. "Few Judokas in the world have reached the rank of 10th Dan. I was one of the first."

Ryoko's eyes lit up. "R-really? Wow! That's so amazing, sir!"

Jubei put his hands to his hips heroically. "Yes, I was once called Demon. I was a scourge to all in the dojo, the arena... and the bedroom~"

Andy witnessed Jubei's grinning face, the old man's eyes still stealthily checking out her young body. His hand couldn't help but come up to his face, slapping his forehead out of embarassment for his sensei.

"Master Jubei..." he sighed. "I have a feeling he didn't enter this competition to actually win."

"Hey, Master Jubei's an old man." Terry chuckled. "He's gonna enjoy the time he has left."

Ryoko bowed to Jubei before getting into stance. "It will be an honor to grapple with you, sir."

Jubei couldn't hide his lecherous giggle. "Ohhh the honor is all mine, sweety cakes~"

 **FIGHT!**

The two experienced Judokas circled each other, their hands outstretched and wide open for grabbing. This was a tricky game; seizing the opponent first was the key to victory.

Ryoko made the first move, snatching Jubei's gi and yanking him forward. She maneuvered behind him and hooked a foot around his left leg, sweeping it out from under him. Jubei fell to his knees, but he did a quick ukemi to escape her advantage. Jubei rose up and grabbed her arms, and a continuous dance occurred as the two went around and around in circles, each one trying to get an advantage on the other.

Jubei won the little exchange; twisting his body around, he snaked a foot between Ryoko's legs and kicked her right foot off balance. As Ryoko's foundation was broken, Jubei flipped her over his shoulder and plopped her on the ground.

Ryoko quickly rolled over and got back to her feet, but Jubei was pushing her downwards, trying to put pressure on her. But Ryoko had an answer for that too; she pulled guard, flopping to her back, and used her momentum to completely launch Jubei over her head. As he hit the ground, Ryoko quickly scrambled to get on top of him, achieving a full mount.

"Ohhhh ho ho! You make me feel 50 years younger, missy~" Jubei cooed.

Andy shook his head. "I never thought an old man could have so much fun getting tossed around."

Keeping her knees on his torso, Ryoko grabbed his right arm and put him in a straight armbar, flattening the arm out stiff and cranking on it to put an extremely painful pressure on the limb.

"Hnnnng! Ohhhh you hurt me so good, young lady~" Jubei would normally be crying out in pain, but he was just giddily laughing.

"The old man's having a good time, and he doesn't even have to pay for it." Kyo grinned.

"This looks like the kind of fun Yagami would pay for." Benimaru, who had rejoined them, teased.

Jubei managed to slither out of the painful vice grip and get back to his feet. Ryoko stayed glued to him, but Jubei expertly locked a foot around her right leg and swept it. Using his hip for leverage, he was able to lift her weight and throw her aside.

As Ryoko got to her feet, she tried to close in on Jubei... but surprise came when a hard object soared and struck her in the face.

"Ngah! Wh-what was...?"

Ryoko stared at the giggling Jubei as he pulled another round object out of his gi. But this time... he took a bite of the thing!

"Is that... a cookie?"

Jubei wiped some crumbs out of his mustache and offered it to her. "Want a bite?"

Ryoko got into stance. "Throw that at me again. I dare you."

Jubei shrugged. "Eh. Well, far be it from me to deny the request of a lovely young maiden~"

Jubei unleashed his cookie with expert speed and precision. The projectile soared like a frisbee, threatening to smack Ryoko in the forehead.

"COMBUSTION!" Ryoko extended her hands and a swirling yellow ball of chi manifested, vaporizing the cookie as it came at her. Jubei's gift dissolved into a pile of ash and crumbs at her feet.

Jubei put a hand to his chin and nodded. "...Fair enough. Now let's get back to the real fun~"

Much to his delight, the two Judokas began wrestling on their feet once again, each one struggling to get the advantage. They were constantly sticking their foot out, trying to hook it around a leg and get the leverage they needed.

The dance was long and arduous... and Jubei was getting tired. The old man simply couldn't keep up with Ryoko's youth and energy. So, he did the only thing one could do in this situation to gain the advantage...

"GROPE~"

"EEEEEK!"

Before the crowd's amazed eyes, Jubei stuck his hands out and forcefully squeezed her boobs. Ryoko squeaked, her face turning red all over as she immediately turtled up to protect herself from further violation.

"OH HOOO! The old man got him some! Ha!" Benimaru clapped.

"That son of a... I should cuff his ass." Mary spat.

Taking advantage of Ryoko's lowered guard, Jubei snaked an arm under her armpit and turned his back to her. In one fluid motion, he bent his body forward while also kicking her leg out from under her. Ryoko's body went airborne, soaring over his head... and Jubei let go of her arm. The female Judoka went flying several yards, landing painfully on her butt.

"Ow ow owwww! Dirty old man! I just lost all respect for you!" Ryoko angrily squeaked, getting back to her feet and rubbing her backside a few times.

"Hee hee hee ho ho ho! Why don't you come punish me, hmmmmmmm~?" Jubei giggled.

Jubei came at her, arms extended, preparing to grapple with her again. Ryoko just walked up to him, her face furious, and drew her hand back.

POWWW!

Jubei's nose was the recipient of a nasty backhanded chop, knocking him to his hands and knees. Jubei whimpered with pain, his nose already turning bright pink. Thankfully, he wasn't bleeding.

"Owwwww! H-hey, there's no striking in a Judo competition!"

"This isn't a grappling match. This is a FIGHT!" Ryoko reminded.

Ryoko pounced on Jubei's back, flattening him out on the ground. Keeping her legs hooked around each side of his ribs, Ryoko grabbed his left arm with two hands and put him in a Kimura, a submission move which involved painfully bending the arm behind the back like a chicken wing.

Ryoko pulled with all her might, until he was flailing in agony. She had a right mind to not let go of it until his arm snapped, so that arm could never violate an innocent girl again.

Jubei's fun was officially over; still treasuring the use of his arm, he slammed his right hand against the ground repeatedly to let her know he gave up. The girl held it for just a FEW extra seconds before finally letting go.

 **WINNER: RYOKO IZUMO**

"Wow, this girl's got skills. I wonder how she'd do against you, eh Daimon?" Benimaru addressed his friend, patting him on the back. Goro said nothing; he put a hand to his chin, as if he was concentrating deeply.

Meanwhile, the Bogards were shaking their head in shame.

"Master Jubei... I wonder if he was really trying in that fight." Andy sighed.

Terry put a hand on him. "Well brother, I have a theory... maybe Jubei realizes that his time is long past, and he's too old to have a realistic chance of winning this thing. Perhaps he just went out there to have fun, and recapture that taste one good time. And uh... feel young again by grappling with a cute young girl."

As Jubei got back to his feet, massaging his arm in pain, Ryoko walked away with her nose elevated. With a pitiful grin, he had but two words:

"...Call me?"

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #15: BONNE JENET VS CAPTAIN KIDD**

The action took a nautical turn, as two fighters who shared a similar theme started to throw down in the ring.

"Bonne Jenet, Pirate Queen." the bombastic blonde bombshell winked, striking a sexy pose that showed off that gorgeous milky-white leg in her purple dress.

The man in front of her gave a hearty laugh as he folded his arms. "I see even in the modern day, admirers of my trade dress up to impersonate my greatness."

The blonde took offense to that. "H-hey, I AM a pirate queen! I have my own ship and crew, the Lilien Knights! And just who are you, anyway?"

The buccaneer flicked his nose with his thumb. "Heh! As if I need any introduction, fair wench. You can call me... Kidd."

Immediately, she recognized that name... and her jaw dropped.

"...No way. You're not...!"

"Who else would I be?"

But instead of continuous surprise... B. Jenet laughed. "Ahaha! You really got me good there, man. You're really devoted to your cosplay, eh?"

The pirate scratched his head. "...Cosplay? Eh? What's that?"

The blonde stuck out her tongue and winked. "You gonna get serious now? We're about to fight."

The pirate straightened his hat, then cracked his knuckles with a smile. "I have a feeling you don't believe who I am. Very well then. I'll let my fists convince you!"

 **FIGHT!**

Kidd pressed forward with a straight right, but B. Jenet easily sidestepped it and countered with a kick to his ribs, backing the sea dog up a few steps. As he backed into her deadly range, B. Jenet unleashed a kick of such magnitude that it produced forceful gale winds; although the kick itself missed, her powerful wind aura sent him sliding backwards several yards.

Kidd was blown back, but stayed on his feet; he clenched his fists and glared at the smirking Jenet, who still had her leg elevated post-attack, in all it's delicious bare glory.

"You think you can distract me with your beauty? Hah! I only have one true love; a little lady called the sea!"

B. Jenet blew a raspberry at him. "Dude, that is so hammy. Tone it down a notch."

She came forward with a looping horizontal kick, producing a blast of gale force that soared towards Kidd. The captain sidestepped it and pressed forward, and Jenet doubled up on her attack by spinning around and throwing a second gale kick. Kidd dived over it and somersaulted forward, landing on his back but managing to spring to his feet quickly.

The captain threw a spinning kick, leading with the sole of his boot; his rather sloppy strike was easily evaded by Jenet, but Kidd spun around and backed her up with a left hook followed by a spinning backfist. The attacks all missed.

 _This is my chance!_ Jenet thought as she grinned; Kidd was wide open right now, still mid-whiff as his body was still spinning around. Thinking she had the advantage, the pirate queen lunged forward and prepared to take him out with a high roundhouse.

...But as Kidd's body spun back around, he extended his fist and gave Jenet the shock of her life.

"WHA- AHHH!"

She barely even saw it coming forward; a huge blue torpedo-like projectile, shaped like a shark, made out of pure H2O. Although it was merely water, it still hit her with the force of a softball to the stomach and knocked her on her cute ass.

As the blonde coughed and sputtered, she looked up at the pirate; he was standing there heroically, his arms folded, his coat swinging in the breeze. A vulture flew to meet his shoulder, as if the majestic creature was drawn to his charisma and exuberance.

And at that moment... Captain Kidd made a believer out of Bonne Jenet.

"You see, lady? I don't just rule the sea... I COMMAND IT! Now is there no denying who I really am?!"

"Y-you..." she could barely get the words out. "You really ARE him..."

Captain Kidd slammed his fist into the ground; all around him, a legion of aqua shark projectiles spewed from the ground and rose up to the skies above. Homing in on the blonde like a missile, they descended upon her and gave her a thorough and painful drenching, each projectile hitting her body with enough force to render her limp.

When at last the onslaught was over, the pirate queen could do nothing but fall backwards on her back. She couldn't get up for multiple reasons: a combination of pain and being uber awestruck, having just gotten her ass kicked by the most legendary pirate in history.

 **WINNER: CAPTAIN KIDD**

As the blonde laid there in defeat, his shadow loomed over her; she looked up, and was met by a hand extending to meet her.

"Tell me, young one." Kidd inquired. "How deeply are you devoted to the life of piracy?"

Jenet took his hand, allowing her to at least sit up. "...It's my whole life, sir."

Kidd let out a hearty chuckle. "Yes, I can feel it in you! You have the blood of a pirate, madame! You are the future of my legacy... my life's work! Do you understand?"

The blonde blushed deeply, looking away. "Y-y-yes sir. Th-thank you, sir~"

"Captain."

"C-Captain~"

And thus, this weird little chapter in the martial arts competition was at an end. Although one ambitious young pirate was met with defeat, she gained something even more important that day; a sense of purpose and fulfillment. With the blessings of the great captain himself, Bonne Jenet was the first chapter of a new era of piracy.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #16: JACK TURNER VS HEIDERN**

The Ikari Warriors were at attention as they anticipated the upcoming fight. It wasn't often their commanding officer stepped on the battlefield nowadays; whenever he did, it was a rare and auspicious moment that wasn't to be wasted.

As for Heidern himself... this was an occasional moment he was allowed to actually enjoy himself. As he looked into his gloved hands, hands that had taken many lives in his lifetime... he felt a warm comfort inside him knowing that he didn't have to use his skills for killing. For the first time in a LONG time... this hardened soldier could put the safety on and enjoy the feeling of a good, clean fight. THIS is why he signed up for this tournament.

"Man, Heidern is one tall motherf***er." K' casually stated.

"It's too bad King's at the hospital right now." Ryo laughed. "I hate that she gets to miss seeing ol' Jack get his ass whooped."

"Heidern's not what he used to be." Robert argued. "Maybe Jack'll catch him."

"Dude, that lumbering pile of blubber won't be able to touch Heidern."

"...You wanna put some money on that?"

"Like you need anymore money, ya rich asshole."

In the combat zone, Heidern maintained an intimidating gaze as Jack stood before him, the stout biker cracking his knuckles as he grinned.

"Think you can fight me with just one good eye? Most guys come at me with two, and they walk away with both of em closed." the punk taunted.

Heidern was unfazed, his face unchanging as he swung his hand diagonal. "Don't think for a second that you can spook me, big guy. I've seen shit that would leave you in a straitjacket in a padded cell. Now come on!"

 **FIGHT!**

Heidern stood there, awaiting Jack to make the first move. For a bullheaded brawler like Jack Turner, that was a challenge he was too willing to accept.

"HUAAAAGH!" Jack's fist glowed with orange chi as he came forward with his Knuckle of Fury, a punch so powerful it knocked most opponents out cold.

Heidern countered, lunging forward with a front kick to the face. Jack's attack was interrupted; he took the full force of Heidern's boot to his ugly mug, stumbling him backwards. The soldier's reach advantage was simply ridiculous; he was able to hit Jack from afar without any danger.

Jack shook the cobwebs and charged. He took another kick to the body, but muscled through it and got in range. He wasted no time swinging, putting all of his power into his massive punches.

Heidern moved his head to avoid the first two, and countered with a sharp 1-2 to Jack's body. But to his surprise... his fists just bounced off of Jack's round belly.

"Heh!" Jack chuckled as he grabbed Heidern by the shirt and lifted him, high above his head.

"Shit...!" Heidern hissed as Jack brought him down to the ground hard, slamming him on his back.

"Oooof. Well Ryo, you lost that bet." Robert teased.

"Oh shut up."

Heidern felt a shadow closing in on him; he looked up and all he could see was Jack coming down on him. The giant man was descending, intending to crush Heidern with an atomic butt drop. The soldier still had enough wits about him to roll aside, and Jack's gargantuan ass impacted on the ground.

There was one NOTABLE weakness about Jack Turner: when he falls down, it takes him a long time to get back up. Heidern was granted several precious seconds to just stand there and watch the lumbering man attempt to waddle back to his feet. It was almost comedic if it weren't so pitiful.

As soon as Jack was up to one foot, he looked up and all he saw was Heidern's knee plow into his jaw. Just like that, all his hard work was for nothing, and the oaf fell back to the ground with a THUD.

"Poor Jack... the guy can't even get back up." Terry shook his head.

"Someone get him a grocery store scooter!" Shen Woo taunted. Upon yelling that, he was met with a hard smack from Duo Lon.

"That's a terrible thing to say."

"Thank you, Lon. Shame on you for that, Shen." Ash scolded. But as soon as they two of them looked away... the white-haired kid let out a giggle.

Heidern respectfully stepped back, putting his hands behind him in a showing of good sportsmanship. "Go ahead and get back to your feet so we can continue."

Jack mean-mugged him as he slowly worked himself up, at last returning to his stance. "That's the last mistake you'll make in this fight!"

Jack charged at him with his right hand cocked back, preparing to unleash a vicious haymaker to his face. Heidern clenched his teeth as he put his hands up high, preparing to dodge or parry...

...But the burly man faked him out. At the last second, Jack led with his left instead, unleashing the mack daddy of all hooks to Heidern's body. Heidern was literally lifted in the air from the impact to his stomach, feeling what must have been the equivalent of getting hit by a linebacker helmet-first.

"S-SIR!" the Ikari Warriors (minus Leona) all cried. The blue-haired girl looked away, a painful twisting of her facial proportions following that nasty body blow. Out of all of them... she probably felt the pain of that attack the most.

Heidern fell on his knees, hunching over until his forehead touched the ground. He tried to breathe... but any attempts to suck air were met with just a gasp. Right now, he couldn't get back up if he tried; his body was SAPPED.

"Oh my god, Commander Heidern's done..." Whip gasped, putting her hands to her mouth.

"Shit... that fat bastard..." Ralf cursed.

Jack stood triumphantly over Heidern, cracking his knuckles with a smug grin on his face. He must have enjoyed that after being picked on the whole fight...

"Looks like you needed two eyes after all, soldier boy." Jack taunted. "Where's that confidence you had a minute ago? I thought you'd seen some rough stuff in your time! Obviously not as bad as what I just did to you, gahahahahahaha!"

SLASH!

Jack's eyes opened wide; he felt his right knee buckle, followed by an intense shooting pain. He tried to put pressure on the leg, but the pain was so severe the leg gave out and the brawler was brought to the ground.

"Wh-wha... what did you do to me?!"

Jack was eye-level with Heidern, who had his hand extended as if he just launched an attack. His fingers were outstretched, his hand rigid.

"Don't worry. I didn't cut you." Heidern reassured. "I just made it painful enough to bring you down to my level."

"You... you... bastard...!"

"Now, if you don't mind... I need to borrow some of that hot air, you windbag."

"Wha..?"

"Go to HELL!"

The next thing Jack knew, Heidern had plunged his fingers into his stomach. Heidern didn't pierce him; he didn't need to.

Jack's body began to glow red as he felt his energy leave him, as if someone had pulled a plug on him and the precious filling that sustained him was leaking out. His arms became heavy, his legs, his shoulders... pretty soon, the act of breathing itself felt like a chore. All of a sudden, a huge fatigue had washed over him, out of the blue. He had already forgotten the pain; he just couldn't will himself back to his feet. His body simply wouldn't let him...

After a few more seconds, Heidern retracted his deadly touch as to not accidentally kill his opponent. As casual as a hum, the tall soldier stood back up and walked away. Jack, meanwhile, had almost no strength left in his body; he could only collapse like a beached whale.

 **WINNER: HEIDERN**

"That was nasty. Pure nasty, what Heidern just did." Kyo shuddered.

"The man doesn't play around. Jack must have really got under his skin." Benimaru replied.

Like his adopted daughter, Heidern never boasted victory; he remained ever-solemn as he returned to the cheers of his fellow Ikari Warriors. But even in the midst of their words of praise and salutes to his greatness... all he could think was one thing:

"I was slow... I should never have let him hit me."

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #17: YUKI VS MAXIMA**

There was an exceptional reaction when the Japanese agent Yuki came out to the combat zone, his scarf epically swaying behind him as he waved and struck heroic poses. If there was any advantage he had in this bout.. it's that not many people had seen him fight before. Only Ai, his partner whom he trusted with his life, was most familiar with his technique and the gadgets on his wrists. The only others who knew Yuki were the few who met him on occasion, and his zealous followers, such as...

"YUKI! I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUU! EVIL SHALL NEVER PREVAIL WITH YOU AROUND!"

"Dude, what's up with May Lee?" Terry laughed as he addressed Kim, who was facepalming as his blue-haired Korean counterpart was bouncing in her seat.

"She's totally nuts about Yuki. You know... the hero thing?"

"Ah. I bet she wishes she had a matching jumpsuit, haha!"

On the other side, a familiar warrior emerged: a veteran of many King of Fighters, since the NESTS Saga. For many years he stood faithfully by K's side; he still does to this day. He had the illustrious honor of being one of only three people on the planet K' would ever dare to call "friend".

As far as his combat effectiveness... Maxima was second to only few. A naturally big man, he altered his body with cybernetic enhancements to further augment his strength. Not many on the planet could match his power, much less take a blow from him.

"Yaaaaaaay Maxima's next!" Kula cheered as she threw her hands up. She looked over at K', who had his usual un-enthused face, and gave him a nudge.

"He better not lose." was K's only word on the matter.

The opponents faced each other, Maxima easily towering over the agent. Maxima looked down at him; his eyebrow raised when he saw the watches on Yuki's wrists light up with a bright blue flash.

"Hm? Those are some neat toys you got there kid. But have you seen anything like THIS?"

Maxima brought his heavy arms up to flex them, complete with a macho grunt of exertion. The crowd seemed to love this, as they broke out in cheers at the sight of Maxima showing off his impressive physique.

"You think you've got technology on your side, friend? You haven't seen anything yet." Yuki smiled.

 **FIGHT!**

Maxima lunged in, cocking his right arm back; he wanted to end this with one blow. With a grunt he let his arm fly, steam hissing from his limb as a testament to the energy he was exerting.

"RRRRRAGH!" his fist soared like a locomotive and threatened to take Yuki out fast. But the crafty agent thrust his left fist behind his own back, producing a blue blast of energy that launched him out of the way of Maxima's fist as it smashed into the ground, shattering the earth.

"Oh no... I knew there was gonna have to be arena repairs when Maxima fought..." Chizuru cursed.

As Yuki was mid-momentum, he extended his right fist; his watch flashed blue and sent a blast so fast that only the impact could be seen by naked eyes. Maxima took the shot to the gut, damaging him... but not even enough to budge him.

"Yuki's mean with those things." Terry analyzed. "They're basically like wrist guns, with unlimited ammo. He can shoot them all day and night."

"As long as his tech holds up." Benimaru replied. "Can't work right if his gadgets are on the fritz. A punch or two from Maxima can do that."

Yuki's strategy was consistent: he used his left hand to fire off energy blasts behind him and propel his body, while the right hand was his offense and he peppered Maxima with a constant barrage of shots. He was circling well, unable to be reached by Maxima's attacks.

Until finally... Maxima got pissed off.

"GRRR! ENOUGH OF THIS!"

Maxima roared like a grizzly bear as he raised both fists above his head and brought them smashing into the ground, producing a tremor of disastrous proportions. The ground all around him began to crackle in a huge radius, the shockwave reaching Yuki and knocking him off his feet.

"That's it! Hit the little flea, Maxima! F*** him up!" K' cheered.

Yuki fell hard, and Maxima was already on him with a follow-up. The cybernetic man leaped high in the air, fist raised, preparing to bring it down on Yuki and crush him. But the agent remained calm; extending both hands, he fired off two powerful blue beams that rocketed his body out of the way of Maxima's ground pound. Maxima's fists collided with the earth, nowhere near Yuki.

"Damn, you're slippery..." Maxima cursed as he got back up to his feet. Instead of his usual tactics, Yuki actually stood in front of him, fists raised.

At last, the two started to trade fists. Maxima swung with a sledgehammer of a right hook, but Yuki ducked. He followed up quickly with a left uppercut, but the agent dodged and came forward with a left hook to the body. His fist glowed with a dazzling blue light as if his wrist watch was strengthening his punches; when he landed his blow, it actually managed to back Maxima up a bit.

Maxima was stunned, but he still came forward with an overhand right. Yuki raised his right arm to block, and Maxima's punch smashed into it. To a normal man, this would have broken their arm like a twig... but surprisingly, his punch just bounced off of Yuki's arm, which had produced a blue forcefield to absorb the impact.

"WHAT! Maxima's punch should have broken him!" K' spat.

"Those watches are some impressive tools. He can easily switch between offense and defense." Terry nodded.

"That's my partner~!" Ai boasted in a sing-song voice.

As Maxima recovered from his failed swing, Yuki poured it on him; he used his left fist for propulsion, firing off a large beam that rocketed him towards Maxima. His right fist began to glow, producing a large blue energy field about the size of a medicine ball.

POWWW!

His energy-fueled haymaker decked Maxima in the cheek, sending the hulking man on his back feet. It was incredible to watch: Yuki's punches were actually backing up a man built like a tank!

"Try this one!" Yuki taunted as he brought both fists forward. This time, a much larger offensive beam fired from his hands, this one visible compared to the quick little semi-automatic blasts from before. The beam zapped Maxima in the stomach, causing him to slide backwards... but he didn't go down.

"MUSCLE THROUGH IT, YOU LUNKHEAD!" K' urged. "QUIT BEING A PUSSY!"

"H-hey! Maxima's not a pussy! He's the biggest, strongest, toughest, bravest man ever! Hmph!" Kula angrily replied.

"K-Kula... don't say pussy."

Maxima came charging forward, huffing as his powerful legs worked. He was tired... but he was getting more and more angry; that made him dangerous.

Yuki grinned; Maxima was coming at him in a straight line, like a walking target. Standing his ground, the agent began rapidly punching the air in front of him. Left, right, left, right, he alternated his fists. With each punch, he produced a quick blue blast; he was firing them off rapidly like dual pistols, each one hitting Maxima and making him slow down more.

...But Maxima still didn't stop. He was being hit with a barrage of gunfire, but that never stopped him before in his life. To Yuki's amazement, he kept coming forward... closer... closer...!

"Damn, he's not stopping. Gotta move...!"

But Yuki was a little too cocky... and a little too late. As he tried to launch his body out of the way... Maxima caught him.

"YUKI!" Ai cried.

Now trapped in Maxima's powerful arms, Yuki was helpless to dodge the crushing knee to his sternum. A blow from Maxima could only be compared to a speeding bus, as the attack utterly traumatized him from the massive blunt force.

Maxima drew his fist back and buried it in Yuki's gut, folding him like a chair, only part two of this terrible trilogy of attacks. The last one came when he tossed Yuki in the air, his strength making the agent get some impressive hang time.

Maxima cocked his arm, steam hissing from the appendage. This one was going to hurt.

"This is it! He's finished!" K' cheered prematurely, actually on his feet. It was fascinating to Kula to see K' so energetic for once in his life; she couldn't help but giggle.

The crowd held their breath as they feared for Yuki's life, the agent falling rapidly into Maxima's deadly weapon of an arm.

...But Maxima had made one mistake. He allowed Yuki plenty of air time.

Maxima's confidence seemed to fade all at once as Yuki thrust his fists behind him and fired off a beam that redirected his body out of Maxima's reach. The agent was just too versatile; those wrist devices allowed him all the offense, defense, and mobility he could ever ask for.

"LIGHTNING FIST!"

Maxima didn't even see him touch the ground; in the blink of an eye Yuki was behind him, thrusting his fist downwards. The next thing Maxima knew, his body shut down as a burst of spontaneous lightning came down on him in a flash. He tried to move ANYTHING: arms, legs, toes... but all he could do was fall over like a tipped bus. His strength was gone; he could only curse in annoyance.

 **WINNER: YUKI**

Yuki was victorious... but he couldn't stand to answer the cheers. Maxima hadn't hit him much, but those few blows messed him up big.

"YUKI!" Ai ran out to the combat zone to comfort her fallen partner. Yuki tried to manage a smile, but he winced hard.

"H-hey Ai... I won, heh heh."

"Can you stand?!"

"I'm trying... oww. Ai, I need you."

Not needing to hear anymore, Ai quickly knelt down and scooped up Yuki, the agent leaning on her for support.

"Cmon, let's get you to an ambulance."

"N-no... I need to be here to watch you fight..."

"I'll be fine, Yuki! I won't lose, even if you're not here to watch."

"Heh... but you're hopeless without me..."

"Oh shut up before I drop you."

As they started to walk away, Yuki almost forgot his sportsmanship. "W-wait! J-just a sec..."

Yuki turned to address Maxima, who was just laying on the ground with an annoyed expression.

"You hit pretty hard, big guy. One more hit, and I'd be done for."

Maxima grinned. "Yeah, well that hit never came did it? You outclassed me, kid. You're a tricky one, eh?"

Yuki smiled. "Thanks for the good scrap, big guy. Meet me at the hospital. Or the uh... mechanic. Whichever one you need, haha."

Meanwhile, in the stands, K' had this weird scrunched up expression on his face. His eyes were shut, his teeth clenched... his entire body shook, as if he was holding back some incredibly fiery outburst. Kula sensed this, and the girl wisely backed up a few feet to avoid the kill zone.

Finally, his eyes opened, his mouth widened... and K' unleashed his true feelings in a blazing explosion of passion:

"Maxima... you dumbass."

In the stands, everyone was awaiting the next fight to start. There was some speculation going on, which was the most entertaining pastime for the fighters who were all confined to their seats.

"Let's see... hmm... I don't see Yamazaki around anywhere. Maybe he's next?" Kyo inquired.

"Duck is gone too." Goro stated.

"Hey! You know who I don't see?" Benimaru chimed in. "Yagami."

Kyo looked all around one good time. "Hey, you're right. I don't see Yagami anywhere."

"...Then try looking behind you."

Kyo nearly leaped out of his skin when that chilling voice hit his ear. The three of them all turned... and they were met with a nasty, scowling face that not even a mother could love.

"Iori... what do you want?" Kyo rudely addressed him, probably because he was embarrassed about getting startled by his rival.

"I want you to tell me you're fighting next." Iori growled.

"...I'm not."

"I want you to tell me that little bastard with the green flames is fighting next."

"He's... not? He's just sitting there, dude. What are you on about?"

"...Nothing."

As quickly as it started, that awkward conversation died. Iori scoffed as he flicked his hair and stomped towards the locker rooms, perpetually pissed off as always.

"...I feel bad for whoever has to fight Yagami." Benimaru laughed.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #18: SINCLAIR VS RYUJI YAMAZAKI**

In the meantime, another unpleasant individual was about to fight. Sinclair's presence wasn't met with much cheer as she walked out to the combat zone... especially from a select few Kyokugen practitioners.

"Time for Sinclair to walk the walk. She's spewed enough threats." Robert sternly stated.

"She's got a lot to prove after that conversation earlier." Ryo nodded.

"I hope she loses. I don't like her." Joe snorted.

"Aw, you're just scared of her." Terry teased.

"Am not!"

"Joe's scared of the mean lady and her shiny swoooooord..."

"Sh-shut up man!"

Sinclair ignored the boos, a look of pure indifference on her face. It's like she wasn't even capable of showing emotion. Her eyes were cold, meaningless... devoid. With one quick motion, she shed her pink cloak and tossed it in the air; drawing her scimitar, she proceeded to slice her cloak into a million pieces until pink rain fell all around her.

"Oooooh scary." Robert rolled his eyes. "Nobody's impressed."

"W-well... it looked cool to me..." Yuri mumbled, looking away.

The man who emerged from the other side needed no introduction; he was one of Japan's "finest". Dressed in a fancy white mink coat which offset his dark attire underneath, the criminally insane Yamazaki always had a crazed grin ready on his face. Halfway through his walkout, he tossed aside his coat, revealing the simple black t-shirt he preferred to fight in for comfort and mobility. And, as always... his right hand was sheathed in the pocket of his black pants.

Sinclair stared at him, trying to look as mean as possible... but Yamazaki's pearly whites seemed to shine wider and wider. Sinclair grit her teeth as he stared at her, like some stupid happy clown... the more she looked at him, the more pissed she got.

When at last the jovial psychopath arrived in the combat zone, she wasted no time brandishing her sword and threatening him.

"I'm giving you one chance. I'm here for the 2 million dollar prize, and I don't care what happens to my opponent. Walk away NOW... or I'll spill your blood all over live television."

Yamazaki just kept smiling, casually sticking a finger in his ear and twisting. "Is that a promise, sweetheart? You better not be yankin' me."

Sinclair was confused by his response. "...What?"

Yamazaki let out a quick little hyena laugh. "Hehehehe! That's a cute weapon you got there, honey. I hope you're planning on using that on me. It's no fun... if you don't cut me a little..."

The way he dragged that last sentence out sent a chill through Sinclair's spine. Something was seriously wrong with this guy; he could flash a smile like a car salesman, but deep inside his brain were some DARK impulses.

Though she was slightly shaken by the strangely intimidating man, Sinclair snapped out of it and resumed her macho facade. "Very well then. I gave you your one warning. Don't blame me for whatever happens next."

Yamazaki's grin widened... but his eyebrows lowered, breaking his angelic facade and showing his true malicious colors. Sinclair did NOT know what she was getting herself into with this man. She had already crossed the line...

 **FIGHT!**

Sinclair approached on shaky legs, her sword poised to strike. But Yamazaki didn't move an inch; he just stood there, no longer flashing his teeth but still maintaining a smug little smirk. Maybe he smiled so long his cheeks were hurting.

Beyond that, he looked like he wasn't ready to fight at all. He was standing there so... casual. He still had one hand in his pocket, and he was just playfully wiggling the fingers of his still visible hand. The longer Sinclair looked at him, the more eager she was to run him through... but why were her legs so reluctant?! Every time she thought about moving forward, a little chill would shock her skin and make her freeze. Her head wasn't on straight... this guy was messing with her!

Just walk up to him... walk up to him and end him. NOW!

Mustering her will, Sinclair finally charged forward and started swinging her scimitar like a madwoman. Her technique was a little aggressive, but she was still graceful and elegant with her sword strokes.

...But Yamazaki's feet stayed planted. He just smiled as he moved his head out of the way of each swing. His head movement was impeccable: every time the blade was a centimeter away from touching him, he would move his head and it whizzed past him.

Sinclair could hardly believe what was right in front of her. He was just standing there, like a clueless idiot! Somehow, her sword just kept missing!

Anger level rising, Sinclair's sword strokes started getting a little sloppier. She was really going wild at him, each swing with the intent of cleaving his head off with one blow. But still, the same song and dance continued; she simply couldn't touch the man, as he was close to defying the laws of physics by dodging every single strike. To make things crazier... he hadn't even moved his feet from that spot.

Before Sinclair knew it, she had swung at Yamazaki 27 times... and hit nothing but air.

"Yaaaaaaawn... I'm getting a little bored here. Why don't you do something fun already?" Yamazaki teased, doing a fake little snoozing act. This only served to enrage Sinclair further.

"You bastard... I'll cut you to pieces!"

Sinclair tried something new; she aimed the tip horizontal, to thrust at his heart. She lunged forward, striking hard, fast, and true... but her sword never touched him. As her arm extended to stab, Yamazaki raised his left hand and slapped her hand out of mid-flight, causing Sinclair to stumble off-balance to her knees.

Sinclair cursed loudly as she jumped to her feet and came around with a wild spinning swing. Yamazaki laughed as he caught her wrist mid-swing and jerked her arm downward, exposing her face.

The next thing Sinclair saw was Yamazaki draw his head back... and his face come speeding towards her.

BONK!

Sinclair saw the world around her spin like a top as her legs moved on their own, pushing her around in a drunken daze. Equilibrium was lost to her; she could only wander around aimlessly, futilely attempting to regain her senses until she fell on her butt.

It took a few moments for Sinclair to snap out of it... but thankfully, Yamazaki provided it to her. He still didn't move, as if he had no urgency to win at all. Like his life wasn't on the line, he let her get back to her feet and compose herself.

"What the hell is Ryuji doing? Doesn't he know she's trying to legit kill him?" Joe asked, baffled.

"Ryuji likes to play with his food. She's just a toy to him, and nothing else. When she's broken, he'll throw her away." Mary replied.

In the combat zone, Sinclair was far past rational thought at this point. Every cell in her body was screaming, BEGGING to slice Yamazaki open and bleed him out for humiliating her like this!

...And Ryuji couldn't be cooler right now. He puts cucumbers to shame.

Sinclair tried to lunge forward, but her face was met with blunt force that stopped her dead. She was frozen, blinking... she didn't even know what the hell hit her. Some...invisible force?!

SWOOSH!

Sinclair was caught in the face again, this one stumbling her backwards. She felt blood trickle down her nose; she looked at Yamazaki, who was just chuckling. Was he... punching her?!

"H-how did you..."

Yamazaki suddenly whipped his right hand out of his pocket; Sinclair immediately knew that's what it was.

"G-GAH!" she cried as she flinched... but Yamazaki laughed loudly as he just held his fist in place, like a bully teasing a nerd in the hallway. If he was trying to make Sinclair look bad, he succeeded.

"Look at her. She's scared shitless." Ryo shook his head.

"After talking all that mad shit a while ago, this is what we get..." Robert agreed.

Sinclair watched as the right hand didn't return to his pocket... his arm fell limp as he hunched over, dangling it left and right... like a pendulum of death, awaiting her to move on him.

"Ikuzo..."

Sinclair crept closer on wobbly legs, her sword raised.

"Ikuzo..."

He was staring into her soul, his predatory eyes sizing her up like a meal. His tongue slithered across his lips, as if her fear was a delicious appetizer for him.

"IKUZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Yamazaki's piercing scream made Sinclair lose her cool; the woman howled as she charged forward, swinging her scimitar wildly. She didn't want to be here anymore. She just wanted this over... she wanted this crazy man gone, dead, out of her life forever!

Sinclair drew her sword back and prepared to stab him in the face, to erase that crazed expression from her brain forever. She wanted it out of her sight, out of her mind completely, before it plagued her dreams.

...But as soon as she tried to thrust, Yamazaki's right hand soared towards her at blinding, INVISIBLE speed... and seized her neck.

She didn't even have time to give a choked gasp; the next thing she felt was her body going airborne... and the back of her skull slam against the ground, turning her world blurry once again.

Yamazaki was acting completely different now. He was no longer cool, composed, motionless... he was a wild, raving lunatic with bloodshot eyes.

"Heh heh heh! Ha ha! HA HA! HAHAHAHAHAHA! HAAAAAAA! HAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!"

Sinclair closed her eyes and turtled up as the insane man started kicking and stomping the crap out of her, no chance whatsoever of her ever getting up. Tears rolled down her eyes as she laid there and took it all, not even minding the pain; she was too busy praying for this nightmare to end. She just wanted to sleep... just die right now, and be free of a world where this maniacal sadist existed.

The crowd couldn't even watch this; they turned their heads in disgust, parents hiding their children, no doubt preparing to change pee-soaked sheets tonight. Yamazaki was TRUE terror, laying into this woman while she curled up in the dirt.

"RYUJI! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Chizuru barked.

"But I'm not ready to go yet, ma!" Yamazaki teased in a baby voice. "Just five more minutes, PLEEEEASE?"

"Ryuji, if you don't stop this... I will."

Chizuru quickly ran over to Geese's VIP booth. "I'm stopping this fight. Any objections?"

Geese scoffed. "You should let it continue. That woman had it coming."

"Why do you always have to...!"

"Hey, you've been bitching about the rules all day? Well, that woman has broken every rule in the book right now. She deserves to get curb-stomped. She's not a true martial artist; she's just a thug, here to take the money. There's no morality in that bitch's black soul."

"Makes me sick, she does." Billy added in, spitting on the ground to emphasize his disgust.

"Like you can talk, Geese!" Chizuru retorted. Not bothering to wait for his comeback, Kagura ran out to stop the fight. It took a few seconds of arguing and some pulling, but Yamazaki finally quit torturing the broken Sinclair.

"H-hey! Okay okay okay! Sheesh, you're such a party pooper."

 **WINNER: RYUJI YAMAZAKI**

His fun over, Yamazaki let out a disappointed sigh and turned to walk away to the locker room. Being the caring host she is, Chizuru leaned down and tried to tend to Sinclair.

"Are you okay? Let me call some paramedics for y-OOF!"

But Sinclair hissed as she leaped up and shoved Chizuru aside. The woman picked up her blade and lunged at Yamazaki, intending to stab him in the back...

"DIE!"

But Yamazaki sensed it; he quickly turned around and produced a knife from his pocket, parrying the sword as it came at him. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the sword flying from her hands.

"I can't believe this f***ing woman...!" Ryo gasped.

Ryuji did NOT have a smile on his face; he looked about as mean as a man holding a knife possibly could. He took a step forward, pressing the knife against her trembling neck. With one hand movement... he could end her.

"R-Ryuji, please don't..." Chizuru begged.

But Yamazaki didn't remove his hand; he pressed the blade so hard against her that a trickle of red began to drizzle.

"Ryuji, I'm begging you! Just let it go... let it go..."

His hand shook; the irises in his bloodshot eyes violently quivered. The man was in PURE suppression mode right now, exercising every ounce of his being to hold himself back from this...

"I don't want to have to disqualify you. Please. If you do this... the tournament is ruined. We can't go on if you do this. Please... please put the knife down."

He stood there for just a few more seconds, until his eyes closed. He took a deep, deep breath through his nose... and finally lowered his hand.

"Thank you..." Chizuru bowed. "Now, please go to the locker room. And YOU!"

Chizuru pointed at Sinclair, addressing her. "I suggest you get out of here now. You've done enough damage."

Sinclair scoffed as she collected her scimitar, sheathing it. "Whatever. I don't care about this foolish competition the least bit. You can all continue your frivolous struggle, held back by your meaningless boundaries and parameters. In the end, it's all a game... just a stupid game."

Those were the last words of Sinclair as she departed the competition, perhaps a little more appreciative of living now.

 **Word count getting high... gonna go ahead and stop here. Congrats on surviving this beast!**

 **Next time... who knows? Haven't decided. Stay tuned! Keep the reviews coming please. Your opinion and feedback is what gives me the strength to go on : D**


	9. Chapter 9: Opening Round, pt 5

**We're over the hump! Congrats to those who made it this far. Painfully predictable Round 1 is more than halfway over : D**

 **Author's Pick: #20 and #22 have Rocky-level action lol. Either one is best~**

 **Hope you're still entertained.**

Iori Yagami was pissed off. He had a 2 in 79 chance of getting the opponent he actually wanted in Round 1; obviously the odds were against him from the start. But the stubborn, unrelenting Yagami didn't care about statistics; in his pigheaded, entitled mind, he convinced himself he would get to face Kusanagi or Ash at his leisure, whenever he saw fit, and nobody would tell him otherwise.

Needless to say, this was not reality.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #19: IORI YAGAMI VS DUCK KING**

The redhead couldn't be more disconnected from his current situation: standing in front of the always energetic, infinitely annoying Duck King, who was moving and grooving in front of him with his blue tongue flailing.

"WOOOO BABY! LEMME SEE YA GROOOOVE! LETTIN' LOOSE THOSE FUNKADELIC FISTICUFFS BABAY! OWWW!"

Iori shook his head and scoffed, running a hand through his hair in true douchebag fashion. With a roll of his eyes, he extended his hand and flexed his fingers.

"You see this hand?"

Duck stopped jiving and looked forward. "Yo?"

"If you don't get the f*** out of my face in the next 10 seconds, this hand is gonna rip out your intestines and force-feed em down your throat until you choke on your own stomach juice."

As if someone flipped the "OFF" switch on him, Duck's groove was now non-existent. His face was frozen in place, the only thing making an effort to hide his fear the sunglasses he always wore. It only took a few seconds of staring into Iori's eyes to know the redhead was NOT bluffing.

Without another word shared, Duck King turned tail and ran his ass off.

 **WINNER: IORI YAGAMI**

"Poor Duck... I wouldn't wish that on anybody." Shingo shook his head.

"Never change, Yagami." Kyo sighed. "Never change."

Iori returned to his seat and sat back down, no better off than when he got his fight notice.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #20: SIE KENSOU VS WOLFGANG KRAUSER**

In the non-fighter stands, Chin Gentsai sat with an open bottle of sake. Flanking left and right were his two youngest disciples: Bao and Momoko, novices in terms of Psycho Power, but still gifted nonetheless.

"...Master Chin?" Bao asked.

"Yeah, what?" Chin grumbled.

"How come you wouldn't let us fight in the tournament?"

"Because you're too green! This tournament is a milestone; it's for fighters who have put in the time to be called the greats! You two have only just begun on the path of martial arts. You're too young to be in a competition with these big dogs!"

"Then how come you're not fighting?" Momoko inquired.

"Unlike those fools Tung and Jubei, I'm smart enough to know I'm too old for this nonsense. I've entrusted the task of representing Psycho Soldiers to Athena and Kensou. I'm sure they'll do fine."

"Do you think Kensou can win the competition?" Bao asked.

"That lovesick dumpling-head? No. Athena, yes."

"Hey, Kensou's fighting now! Boy, does he look scared." Momoko pointed.

Chin leaned over and squinted his eyes; when he saw the opponent, they popped open wide.

"My god... Krauser..."

In the combat zone, Kensou was losing his cool. He maintained an awkward grin, but the more his eyes scanned the nearly 7 foot specimen of pure muscle in front of him, the more his legs wobbled.

"Gotta stay cool... gotta stay cool... gotta stay cool... Athena's watching me... AH! Meat bun!"

Kensou reached a trembling hand into his pocket and pulled out his favorite snack, scarfing it down. But the kid was so nervous he didn't chew his food properly.

"AUGH! AHK! COUGH COUGH!"

Krauser rolled his eyes as he finished tossing his red cape aside. "Are you ready to fight, kid? Or are you gonna pass out before we even start?"

Kensou finished choking and got into stance, trying to look as brave as possible.

"Now look here! I don't care if you are the Emperor of Darkness or whatever you call yourself. My future wife is up there watching me, and I am NOT going to embarrass myself in front of her! So put up your hands, pal!"

Krauser's lips formed a malicious smile. "So you fight for pride and dignity eh? Then we have much in common. Unfortunately, I cannot lose this fight either. My life is sustained only by the honor I bring to the name of Stronheim. To me, honor is everything. And... I lost mine a long time ago."

He swung his arm dramatically. "Since I've been away, my reputation has diminished, my name lower than mud! I WILL regain my place at the top of the food chain. When I win this competition, my greatness will once again be recognized!"

Kensou scratched his head. "Dude, I don't care about your melodramatic mumbo jumbo. I'm trying to impress a girl here! You see, my plan is this: I'm going to get as far as possible, and hope Athena does too. We'll meet in the final two, and I'll take a dive and allow her to win! Together, the two of us will celebrate her victory and she'll be so lost in the moment that I'll finally confess to her and she will ACCEPT ME!"

Krauser chuckled as he nodded in acknowledgement. "Young love, eh? A noble cause to fight for. Very well then. Let's see whose ambition will prevail."

 **FIGHT!**

Kensou frontflipped forward several times for style, transitioning into a tornado kick which struck Krauser in the stomach. However, the purple-haired man's impressive abdomen absorbed the kick like body armor.

Kensou twisted his body and threw a spinning kick to Krauser's left leg; the man raised his shin to check it, and Kensou's leg collided with his golden shinguard. Immediately, the Psycho Soldier could feel his foot numbing; as soon as he tried to put pressure on it, it gave out.

Krauser took advantage when he saw Kensou stumble, coming forward with a lunging knee to his face. If the shinguard was painful, the metal kneecap to his face was even WORSE. Kensou was floored immediately, his face dazed; there was a huge gash on his forehead where the edge of the metal struck him.

"This is not good..." Chin hung his head.

"Ewwww he's bleeding!" Momoko looked away, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

Kensou leaped up and the blood drizzled into his eyes; as he tried to wipe it away, Krauser was on him immediately. The physically superior man scooped him up and leaped into the air, sending Kensou crashing behind him with a flying suplex.

"Uaaaaaagh...!"

Kensou was bloody, his foot numb... and now his back hurt something awful. He was totally miserable right now. But what made him get back up? What foolhardy goal drove him to carry on this grueling, losing battle?

Her.

Athena was up there in the stands right now, her hands clasped together fearfully as she watched him with full attention. He could see it in her eyes... her worry for him. Those beautiful purple eyes... he swore not to lose as long as those eyes were watching.

As Krauser leaned down to pick Kensou back up, the Psycho Soldier spring kicked directly into his face, achieving the double result of stunning Krauser and leaping back to his feet. When Kensou was upright again, he leaped up and brought his heel crashing across Krauser's cheek with a spinning kick. As the large man stumbled, Kensou hit him with a hard body blow, his fist fueled by his Psycho Power. To complete the combo, Kensou leaped up and decked him in the face with both feet, gracefully somersaulting through the air and landing perfect in stance.

As Krauser stumbled backwards on wobbly feet, Kensou unleashed his Psycho Power in the form of a crimson projectile, launching it forward at high speed.

...But this time Krauser was ready.

"BLITZ BALL!" Krauser called out his attack as he flung a fireball at the precise moment to meet Kensou's energy sphere mid-flight. The two balls collided, producing an explosion that warmed their skin from the shockwave.

As the smoke cleared, Kensou appeared in front of Krauser with a leaping palm strike (he had to leap to reach the guy's face properly)

The first one struck him, but Kensou got greedy and went for a second one. This is when Krauser finally intercepted his hand and crushed it in his grasp.

"Ahhhh!" Kensou howled in pain as Krauser's grip was like a pair of giant pliers.

Krauser drew his beefy arm back and clobbered Kensou in the face with his gold-plated gauntlet. He let go of the boy's hand... and Kensou was sent stumbling backwards on jello legs. But he didn't go down.

A Krauser right hook encouraged him, slamming into the boy's cheek and snapping his head sideways. But STILL he stood.

"You're too tough for your own good, kid. YAAAH!" Krauser finally brought the boy down with a push kick. To his amazement, Kensou leaped back up seconds later!

"That all you got, big guy?!" Kensou screamed, his face a mask of blood right now.

"Kensou's taking a beating, Master Chin!" Bao squeaked. "This is awful!"

"Yes it is..." Chin replied, a hand on his cheek. "But he won't stop, as long as she's watching..."

In the fighter stands, Athena's eyes were still on him, glistening from tears threatening to spill over. She didn't know why she kept looking; she was encouraging him to continue the longer she stared. She was the cause of his suffering... if she just looked away right now, he'd realize how badly he was hurting her by taking such punishment.

"You should stay down, kid. I don't wish to hurt you any further." Krauser threatened.

"I'M NOT QUITTING!" Kensou yelled. "COME ON!"

"Then you've sealed your fate!"

Kensou leaped at him shin-first, hitting him in the stomach with a flying kick. Krauser didn't budge.

Kensou hit him with a 1-2 to the body, then spun around with a backfist. Still, Krauser wasn't bothered by it.

Finally, Kensou leaped high like a monkey and slammed his palms into Krauser's ears. THIS one managed to disorient the big guy, as his ears began to ring with a piercing shrill.

"ARRRRRGH!"

Unfortunately, Krauser was fast enough to catch Kensou in mid-air; the big man mercilessly lifted the boy high and powerbombed him into the ground. As soon as he let go, Kensou went flat.

"KENSOU, STOP!" Athena finally cried, leaping to her feet. "You don't have to prove anything to me! I won't think any less of you, even if you lose here!"

...But Kensou didn't listen. His body was the definition of pain, every inch of him screaming with pulsing agony. Even then, he brought his arms and legs up to lift himself. Albeit slower than normal, he pushed off the ground and launched himself back up.

With every ounce of passion and spirit in his soul, he had one message:

"ATHEEEEENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Athena's eyes widened as she witnessed Kensou's body explode with red energy, his hair standing up as the ground all around him quaked. Was this... the extent of his love for her?!

Kensou leaped at Krauser with a flying double kick, bashing him in the face and backflipping to his feet. As Krauser stumbled, Kensou soared at him with a superpowered punch, but Krauser caught his fist and threw him into the air.

"BLITZ BALL! BLITZ BALL BLITZ BALL BLITZ BALL BLITZ BALL BLITZ BAAAAAAALL!"

Krauser screamed with fury as he launched an onslaught of fireballs, juggling Kensou in the air until his body couldn't even be seen in the fiery explosions.

The purple-haired man took a deep breath; surely when the smoke cleared he'd be...?

But he wasn't.

"HYAAAAAAAAH!" Kensou flew at him and smashed his face with the force of a comet. Krauser officially went down for the first time in this fight, landing butt-first.

"Look at Kensou go!" Momoko cheered. "Is this the Dragon Spirit?"

Chin shook his head. "No... this is just showing off for Athena."

Krauser stood back up; he was met with a double fist to the stomach that actually buckled him! Kensou followed up with a switch kick to the face, sending the mustached man on his back feet.

"This kid...!" Krauser cursed as he backpedaled to escape Kensou's fury.

"KEEP GOING KENSOU! YOU'RE DOING GREAT!" Athena cheered. The girl had changed her tune; a minute ago she wanted him to quit, now she wished he'd never stop. He was amazing... she could feel her insides warming up just watching him.

Kensou lunged with a low kick, but Krauser checked it. He tried to go to the body with a kick, but Krauser's forearms bounced it off like it was nothing. He spun around with a tornado kick; Krauser tilted his head back and Kensou's foot merely grazed his mustache.

As Kensou landed on his feet, his chest was met with a straight left that sent him flying back until he landed facefirst. He quickly sprang back up, and charged forward.

"Man, Kensou's not quitting!" Bao exclaimed. "He's gonna keep going forever!"

Chin was focusing carefully now... he was curious to see where this went.

Kensou kicked Krauser in the stomach, then twisted his body into a spinning kick to the face. He then launched himself up and came down on Krauser's crown with a heel kick to complete the combo. Krauser fell to one knee, but he retaliated with a rising uppercut that lifted Kensou off his feet. The big man's blows were just too heavy; they threw Kensou around with little effort.

"Huff... huff.. I WON'T LOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!" the boy cried with determination.

Kensou sprang back up with a grin and charged at Krauser... but something was different. He just didn't have the same pep in his step from a while ago; he could feel his legs getting sluggish, his punches turning weaker... he was slowing down. He seemed to realize this, and the grin faded from his mouth.

"Oh no, Kensou stopped glowing!" Momoko squealed.

"I was afraid of this... the boy used too much power too fast." Chin shook his head. "He's pooped."

Kensou took a tired breath, leaped up and struck Krauser in the cheek... but the mustached man's face didn't budge an inch. He was spent... the fire and passion in his blows had flickered out like a dying candle.

Krauser pushed the initiative, lunging forward with a brutal fist to the stomach. Kensou didn't have a snowball's chance of dodging it; he took it full force, bringing him to his knees.

"Kensou..." Athena whispered solemnly, closing her eyes. Deep down, she had sensed this outcome from the start; she knew Kensou better than anyone, and only Kensou could blow his wad trying to do something crazy to impress her.

Krauser stood him back up and pushed him backwards. The relentless man lunged and floored Kensou with a spinning lariat, the metal of the gauntlet smacking him in the face and laying him out.

"Sorry to do this to you kid..." Krauser apologized as he grabbed Kensou and lifted him. "...but you've surprised me one time too many in this fight. I have to make sure you don't get back up."

Half the audience and fighters looked away with a wince as Krauser threw Kensou into the air and drew his hands back.

"KAISER WAAAAAAAVE!"

Krauser thrust his hands and unleashed his mightiest attack: a sizable purple wave of pure energy, which soared with intense velocity and tore through Kensou in a flash.

"UAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh...!" Kensou's wail of defeat pierced their ears as his clothing exploded from the massive force. When the critical attack was over he fell to the ground, his hair a mess and wearing nothing but his half-torn shorts.

 **WINNER: WOLFGANG KRAUSER**

Krauser approached the fallen Kensou... but with no malice in his heart. Instead, he took a knee and brought his head down, bowing out of respect for the boy's courage.

"You fought a fantastic battle, young man. You possess strength and courage that I've rarely seen before. It was an honor to share the arena with you. Thank you."

With that, Krauser rose back up and gathered his cape. With a clap of his hands, he called for his servant.

"LAURENCE!"

As fast as the matador's legs could carry him, Laurence Blood appeared by his side.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Go and get a couple of beers. We shall toast to my victory... and the rebirth of Stronheim's glory!"

As Kensou laid there, his body paralyzed from pain... he was grinning ear to ear. He wasn't too shaken up about defeat; he felt like the biggest badass ever to trade fists with Krauser and put on such a performance. And knowing Athena was watching... that made him feel like 2 million bucks.

"KENSOU!" he could hear her voice cry out, but he couldn't turn his head to see her. It wasn't until Athena came sprinting into his peripheral vision that he finally was able to capture her beauty: her flowing purple locks, her tear-filled eyes... her adorable lips pursed, trying to stifle sobs.

"Athena... I did... awesome." Kensou chuckled.

"You dummy!" Athena cried, falling down to her knees and scooping up Kensou in her arms. It was incredibly painful to be moved so brusquely... but Athena's hug made it all worthwhile.

"Why did you do it?' she whispered. "Why do you have to be so reckless? You should have just quit before he did all that to you..."

"Why do you think I did it, huh?" Kensou mumbled. "Do you seriously think... I was gonna go out like a bitch... with you... watching... ughhhhhhhhhhhh..."

With a final groan, Kensou passed out in her arms, his face buried in her chest.

"Oh Kensou... you're so foolish..." Athena smiled. She gently stroked his hair, leaning down to kiss him on the temple. She gently laid him down, so the paramedics could come take him.

"Wait for me Kensou. As soon as I'm done here, I'll come join you at the hospital... and I swear I won't leave your side."

In the stands, Momoko and Bao were still going nuts about how awesome Kensou looked. But Chin was silent, his eyes closed as he pondered deeply.

 _I always said that kid was the definition of untapped potential... could that have been a breakthrough?_

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #21: DIO VS GEEGUS**

"Whoooooa...look at these two freaks!" Terry pointed.

"What in the hell... what is this?!" Kyo inquired. "Baby Blue Alien Man vs... Bald Metal Man?!"

In the combat zone, two supernatural entities faced each other. One one side: a humanoid specimen whose entire body was sky blue, from head to toe. His eyes were a deep shade of amber, as well as the strange round gem that resided on a peculiar-looking blue growth on his head. He also appeared to have hair: a thick clump of tightly woven blue strands that were slicked back.

On the other side: another humanoid form, although this one seemed to only be shaped like one. He was bald, with a perfect Adonis-like body, with no clothing. He was COMPLETELY silver, save for his piercing red eyes.

"Hey! I recognize that blue guy!" Ai pointed out.

"Really? Who is he?" Ryo asked.

"WAREZ created a clone of him. He was called... Neo Dio. But that clone is dead now. This must be the original!"

"...He IS the original." a mysterious voice called out.

Everyone nearby turned and were met by the stern gaze of Hanzo. He was standing there, arms folded, looking as epic as a ninja giving exposition possibly could.

"How do you know?" Robert asked.

"I have fought him before." Hanzo replied.

"Oh... well, is he strong?"

"Yes. Dio commands the power of fire, ice, and electricity. He can alter his limbs to take on many forms. He possesses equal parts strength, speed, intelligence... and has no conscience. He is the perfect engine of destruction."

Ryo's eyebrows shot up. "Damn. He sounds dangerous."

In the combat zone, tensions were at a boil between these two creatures. The silver man stepped forward and thrust his finger.

"You cannot hope to defeat me now, Dio! I've acquired greater power than you could ever imagine! OBSERVE!"

Dio's face didn't change, he just stood there arms folded as Geegus suddenly melted into a silver puddle.

"That's his power? Melting? I guess his name is Popsicle Man or something." Shen Woo teased.

A few seconds later, the puddle began to reshape... taking human form... but it wasn't Geegus. It was...!

"WHOA!"

"What the...!"

"HOW did he?!"

"As you can see, I've copied the data of every single fighter in this tournament." Geegus boasted. His current form was that of Geese Howard himself. Suddenly, he melted AGAIN: this time, he re-emerged as Krauser!

"I contain the might of all the most powerful fighters on this planet! I can be anybody! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Dio just scoffed. "Hmph. You will never defeat me, Geegus. Do you know why? Because you don't possess any REAL strength. Your power is simply borrowed from others. I will defeat you with my own arms, my own legs, my OWN power! Now... fulfill your purpose in life, and die beneath my feet."

 **FIGHT!**

Dio came forward with a looping leg kick; Geegus lifted his leg to dodge it, and Dio's foot whizzed past. He spun his body around, flowing with the momentum, and came back around with another kick. But this time... his leg seemed longer, as if he had stretched it! Furthermore, his foot no longer had its normal shape: it had transformed into a sharp, blade-like form.

This time Dio's kick cleaved through Geegus's torso like butter, severing the silver humanoid at the legs. The audience was horrified at the sight of someone getting cut in half right in front of them... but that trauma changed to bewilderment when the two halves of Geegus just melted to the ground in a puddle.

The puddle bubbled a few times, then re-emerged in the form of Kyo Kusanagi. He was an exact replica of Kyo, right down to the headband... but he was silver.

"Two Kusanagis." Iori scoffed. "What a shitty world we live in."

Geegus's body coursed with a blazing fire; although not the sacred Kusanagi flame, it was still a pretty convincing copy. He charged forward with his fists extended and started pouring on Dio with several hard strikes, a trail of fire following each swing as he threw fast and fierce.

Dio parried the shots easily with his hands, then drew back and sliced through Geegus with a blade protruding from his forearm. Everything from the arms up went flying, as the rest of the mutilated body fell over.

Geegus regathered himself into a puddle, then re-emerged as Terry.

"BURN KNUCKLE!"

Geegus torpedoed forward with Bogard's signature move, a fist of blazing chi. But Dio intercepted him mid flight with a backflip kick, knocking Geegus out of his attack and sending him to the ground hard.

Geegus reformed: this time he was Goro Daimon.

With a grunt, Geegus raised his stocky arms and slammed his palms into the earth, creating a tremendous shockwave that shook the entire Coliseum.

But Dio leaped high into the air, avoiding the damage altogether; he came down on Geegus with his legs extended, wrapping them around his neck and sending the humanoid on a wild ride with a brutal Frankensteiner.

Geegus was slammed against the ground so hard, his neck snapped and his solid form burst. Dio had plenty of time to get back to his feet before the puddle took form once again, this time as Ryo Sakazaki.

"HAOH SHO KOH KEN!"

Geegus thrust his palms and let loose Ryo's nastiest weapon: a fireball of terrifying size and speed. The giant blue projectile was bigger than Dio as it traveled towards him, threatening to blow him away.

Dio rolled his eyes and raised a flaming fist. As soon as the fireball came towards him, he lunged forward and punched it!

BOOOOM!

The fireball exploded in Dio's face, creating a huge smokescreen that obscured the blue alien from the rest of the audience.

"Whoa... no way he survived that." Ryo gasped.

"Yeah... nobody shoots fireballs like Kyokugen guys." Robert agreed.

"Oh my god... look!" Yuri pointed.

The smoke cleared... and Dio was perfectly fine. He was just standing there, his fist still extended.

"What... the... f***" Ryo's words spilled out slowly.

"Use whatever form you want, Geegus. It won't delay your demise for a second extra." Dio coldly stated.

Now angry, Geegus melted and re-emerged: this time he was Geese.

"REPPUKEN! REPPUKEN! REPPUKEN!"

Dio's speed was impressive; he sidestepped each blue wave as it soared towards him, and closed in on Geegus quickly. He drew his hand back, curling his fingers into claws. An electric aura began to sizzle in his palm, forming a huge electro-ball within his grasp.

Dio thrust his hand into Geegus's chest, his arm seeping into the silver man's gelatinous form.

"Die."

"UAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Geegus howled with pain as electricity burst from every pore. He was unable to contain his solid form, as his body sizzled and spurted from multiple areas. His arms melted, his legs... it was only a matter of time before...

KERSPLAT!

Geegus's body exploded all over the arena floor, covering a wide radius in little silver stains.

"Oh my god...ewww..." Yuri groaned.

Dio stood there triumphantly, his arms folded as the little pieces of Geegus slowly reformed... much slower and weaker than before. Instead of taking form, the puddle just slinked away.

 **WINNER: DIO**

Everyone in the stands just sat there bedazzled, still trying to wrap their heads around what they just saw.

"So let me get this straight... a blue alien guy... just blew up a silver metal... shape-shifting... blob?" Kyo said it aloud just to vocalize the insanity.

"Sh-SHINGO DON'T MOVE! YOU GOT SOME OF IT ON YOU!" Benimaru screamed.

"GAAAH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" Shingo squealed as he started smacking himself all over, like he was swatting a cockroach.

"...Just kidding."

Shingo lowered his eyebrows. "Ben, you're an asshole. I'm gonna go sit over there with Yagami."

"HAHAHA!"

The kid actually wasn't bluffing, as he stood up and walked away from the Japan Team to go do exactly what he said.

"Ah, you'll be back in two minutes." Benimaru laughed.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #22: THE REAL OG MR. KARATE VS BROCKEN**

"Hey, look on the TV. It says Papa's fighting next!" Yuri pointed.

"Ah yes, only he could pick such a goofy name." Robert chuckled. "You guys worried about him?"

"I dunno... he's not that active in King of Fighters anymore." Ryo shrugged. "I'm afraid he'll be a little rusty."

"But Papa knows more about Kyokugen than all of us combined." Yuri argued.

"He's old, sis. In the fight game, age is one of the biggest factors. Pops just might not have it in him anymore..."

...Of course, someone failed to tell Takuma this. The Kyokugen master felt 30 years younger as he walked out to the combat zone in a traditional white Karate gi, his black belt proudly displayed around his waist. And on his face... the icing on the cake. The little defining piece of the puzzle that completed Mr. Karate... that weird-ass red Tengu mask.

"Ohhhh shit! The return of Big Nose!" Robert laughed.

"Papa looks better than ever!" Yuri cheered.

"This is a truly humbling moment... to see the bona fide Mr. Karate fight once again." Heidern nodded.

"Pay attention, youngsters. That man is a TRUE martial artist!" Tung addressed all those around him.

Takuma walked out to the combat zone and stopped, taking a deep breath through his nose, and exhaling through his mouth. His determined eyes opened... and he swung his fists from his chest to rest on each side of his hips.

"OSU!" he grunted, followed by several cracking sounds from his neck as he rotated his head left to right. He brought his fists back up to his chest, then slowly spread his feet... until he was in a wide stance. Finally, he extended one arm with an open hand, while his other fist rested close to his body.

"Wow... even at his age, Master Takuma moves with grace." Benimaru admired.

"He defines Karate." Kyo solemnly spoke. "I have nothing but respect for him."

Finally, his opponent emerged from the other side. This kind-looking blonde man was completely unknown... but his uniform unfortunately created an immediate backdraft of negative bias.

"BOOOO NAZI SCUM!"

"THE THIRD REICH CALLED, THEY WANT YOU TO GO JOIN THEM IN HELL!"

"AXIS LOVER!"

Brocken didn't understand the audience's hatred towards him; he was only a mindless soldier, a singular entity designed to fulfill one function. In his brain, the concept of human emotions didn't exist: only his mission to fight in the name of Germany's glory. The ignorant audience had no idea he just so happened to be built during a terrible time in history, to serve a less than reputable cause. It wasn't HIS fault!

So what was he doing in this tournament? Perhaps his programming encouraged him to seek out the largest stage in which he could spread the biggest influence. After all, history is determined by the victors: if Brocken wins the greatest martial arts competition in the universe, the respect and glory is all his. And glory for Brocken meant glory for his fatherland.

At last these two fighters approached each other in the ring. Takuma broke stance for the slightest of moments to give a respectful bow. Brocken's response was to bring his boots together and extend his hand outward at an obtuse angle, his rigid fingers pointing to the sky.

"Pretty bold of you to come to the tournament in that persona." Takuma opened, reaching a hand up to adjust his red mask a few times.

"I do not know what you mean." was Brocken's response.

"Uh... okay?"

Brocken gave his hat a slight tilt of respect, then got into stance. "I fight for the honor of the fatherland. This is the purpose of my existence. Prepare yourself."

Takuma shook his head. "Man... some real weirdos in this tournament..."

 **FIGHT!**

The fight started off uneventful; both guys were looking to counter, so they both stood perfectly still. It became a contest of patience, to see who would make the first move...

Brocken's patience prevailed; Takuma finally charged forward... and the Nazi revealed his bag of tricks.

Before everyone's unexpected eyes, Brocken's hands extended far beyond human capabilities; they stretched a total of 5 yards before clocking Takuma in the face and sending the Karate man backwards. People easily saw his mechanical interior during that, and the big secret was out.

"Ohhhhh! He's a robot! Nazi guy is a robot?!" Shen Woo exclaimed.

"What the hell is a robot doing in the tournament? Who's his master?" Robert questioned.

"Robbie... look at the way he's dressed. You don't wanna know who his master is." Ryo patted his friend on the back.

Takuma was surprised by Brocken's reveal, but he was far from deterred. He charged forward again, not caring about the robot's strange extending limbs.

Brocken gave him another taste; he went for a low kick, and his leg stretched all the way across to reach the older man. The experienced Takuma knew enough to counter it.

"HIEN SHIPPU KYAKUUUU!"

The way Takuma's voice boomed as he declared his attack was so skin-tingling, so authoritative... it gave everyone chills. His chi coursed through him as his foot soared like a rocket, striking Brocken in the chest and knocking the robot off his feet.

As Brocken's body started to fall... blue flames sprouted from his feet and the Nazi robot took to the skies.

"Damn, this guy's got everything." Ryo spoke as he clenched his fist.

Brocken's hands opened wide, and two high-speed missiles soared towards Takuma! It soon became apparent to everyone... this robot was built for warfare.

"PAPA, LOOK OUT!" Yuri squealed.

"HAOH KEN!" Takuma thrust one palm and sent two tiny fireballs to intercept the missiles. The smart Sakazaki used less chi than normal, as the fireballs were just for stopping them.

The projectiles collided with an explosion, covering the combat zone in a dust cloud... and both fighters had the same plan to move forward in the camouflage.

When the dust cleared, these two hardened warriors were throwing down. Takuma unleashed a crisp straight right that tagged Brocken hard in the nose, then went low with a straight left to his body, backing him up. As Broken retreated, Takuma finished his combo with a spinning kick to the midsection that made the robot fire up his boosters just to get distance.

As Takuma tried to pursue, Brocken's foot extended and caught him in the face, sending the older man stumbling backwards on shaky legs. Had he not been wearing that mask, his nose would be wrecked.

Brocken unleashed a steady stream of punches, extending his arms out to try and hit Takuma from afar. Being a robot, he NEVER got tired; he could continue at this same pace forever.

"GO IN ON HIM, POPS!" Ryo cheered.

Takuma pressed forward and tried to sway out of the way of the rapid punches, but they just kept coming. Eventually one hit him in the stomach, and Takuma's arms dropped right before he took a hard one to the face. The Karate master was floored, skidding back a few feet from the impact.

"Damn, that was a knockout punch." Robert cursed.

"He's not out. He's still in this!" Ryo encouraged.

Takuma did a spring kick back to his feet, his spirit not shaken. Brocken tried to stretch his leg out and kick... but Takuma was having none of it this time.

"HIYAAAH!" Takuma brought his right leg up and swung it right in a horizontal arc, knocking Brocken's foot aside and throwing the robot off balance. That was it... THAT was his weakness.

"Master Takuma figured it out!" Robert exclaimed. "When the robot stretches his limbs so far, it's easy for him to lose balance!"

As Brocken fell down, he brought his leg back to its socket and tried to rocket boost to his feet quickly... but Takuma still had plenty of speed at his age. The Karate master let him have it: a right hook to the face, a straight left to the body, that same hand going upwards to a backfist that snapped his head back, a sharp right palm to the area where his ribs would be.

Brocken stumbled backwards, his body shaking from several hard impacts compromising his stability. But Takuma wasn't done yet; he still had the cherry on top.

"KOUHOUUUUUUUUUU!" Takuma bellowed as his fist coursed with blazing chi. The old man put his entire body into the massive uppercut, his feet leaving the ground from his sheer propulsion.

Brocken took this granddaddy of uppercuts to the chin, launching his body high into the air. The robot was so disoriented he couldn't even fire off his rocket boosters; like a junkyard car being released from the magnet, he hit the ground with a massive CRASH!

Takuma took several deep breaths; he used an insane amount of energy to try and end this fight. He hoped and prayed he wouldn't get back up, otherwise... things would get hairy...

"Papa looks tired." Yuri worried. "I hope this is the end..."

"Keep hoping. The robot is getting back up!" Robert cursed.

Unfortunately, it was the truth; Brocken rose back up to his feet. His face was dented in multiple areas, some skin tissue missing. But the most notable damage was the lower half of his jaw, which was completely sideways.

The robot looked angry... and he was about to unleash some payback.

"GUUUHK!" Takuma choked out as Brocken's arm shot out to grab his neck. Takuma firmly in grasp, Brocken extended his arm even further.. FURTHER... until Takuma was 20 yards away.

And then, like letting go of a rubber band... Brocken retracted his arm and reeled Takuma in like a fish on a hook. Takuma's flailing body must have been traveling upwards of 30 mph...

When at last Takuma was in range, Brocken drew his head back and gave Takuma the most intense cranial bash the world had ever seen. The force was so unimaginably hard Takuma's mask shattered into pieces, followed by a stream of blood from his nose as he fell backwards to the ground.

"P..P... PAPAAAAAAAAAAA!" Yuri squealed with piercing volume, tears immediately spilling as she watched her beloved father take an extremely brutal hit.

"Oh my god, STOP THE FIGHT!" Ryo cried out.

...But to their surprise, Takuma got back up. His left eye was completely shut, his nose pouring blood... and his left eyebrow was split wide open from end to end. Even if his eye wasn't closed, the blood drizzling down would blind him anyway.

"Jesus... old man..." Kyo winced.

"He needs to stay down. No way his head's all there right now." Terry shook.

But Takuma proved them all wrong; he got back into stance, raised his left hand... and made a "come" gesture. Immediately the crowd broke out in cheers, their respect and admiration for Takuma soaring like a dragon.

The angry robot lunged forward and extended his right fist, burying it in Takuma's gut and knocking him on his ass.

Takuma got back up.

Brocken thrust his left arm out and decked him in the face, following up with a hard right to the ribs, then finished by bringing both his arms back and launching them simultaneously, to blast him off his feet with a double fist.

Takuma got back up.

Brocken extended his foot to Takuma's gut, then pushed off of him and went into the air with a leaping kick to his face.

Takuma got back up.

"PAPA, STAY DOWN!" Yuri begged.

"Jesus, this is murder!" Robert yelled. "Somebody get in there and stop our idiot!"

Brocken extended his leg for a kick... and Takuma caught it.

The puzzled robot was brought forcefully to the ground as Takuma leaped up and wrapped his legs around Brocken's extended limb, Takuma's body weight and momentum causing the robot to take a hard fall in the dirt.

His legs firmly around the appendage, Takuma pivoted with his hip and cranked on the foot in the opposite direction. To a normal man, their leg being twisted so hard would have them crying... but for Brocken, it was just a nuisance.

"Hnnnnnnngh GAAAAAAAAAH!"

Takuma screamed with all his might as he twisted the leg so hard, it broke off into two pieces!

"OH MY GOD!" Yuri squealed.

Takuma rose back to his feet, now holding Brocken's leg along with the long metal rod used to extend it. Brocken was left with just half a metal rod and a sizzling stump.

"I just watched my dad... rip someone's leg off... holy shit." Ryo stated aloud.

"Please don't invite him to mine and Yuri's wedding." Robert shuddered.

As soon as Brocken stood up, he fell back down. He tried again, this time using the metal rod used for extension as a pseudo leg to stand on. It worked a little better, but as Brocken took a step forward it slipped and he fell.

A third time, Brocken stood... but it would be his last.

"HAOH SHO KOU KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

Takuma lunged forward, palms extended, and unleashed the piece de resistance of the Kyokugen arsenal: the mightiest fireball to ever be launched. It was a huge, majestic ball of bright orange chi, it's size and energy output superior to all before it.

The fireball ran through Brocken, swallowing the robot up in a sea of blazing energy. Only his black shadow could be seen in the midst of the grand projectile, no doubt suffering greatly.

When the smoke cleared, Brocken's body was but an empty husk. His uniform was scorched, his hat gone, his eyes dark. He fell over like a domino and hit the ground, just a smoldering metal shell.

 **WINNER: TAKUMA SAKAZAKI**

"ALRIGHT DAAAAAD!" Ryo shouted as he jumped to his feet. Yuri leaped on top of him, hugging his neck as her brother spun her around.

"HAHAHAHA! PAPA DID GREAT!"

"That is a tough old bastard." Robert smiled, reaching a hand up to wipe a tear.

Takuma stood with pride, bowing on all four sides of the Coliseum to answer the cheers around him. The smile on his face couldn't be removed.

...But he could only keep it up for a few more seconds. Takuma was in PAIN; he had exerted everything he had. His breathing was a rasp, his legs just barely keeping him upright. His arms hung at his sides, no strength left to lift them.

And seconds later... he collapsed.

"MASTER!" Robert leaped from the stands and ran out.

"DAD!" Ryo and Yuri joined him quickly, the three of them running out to tend to him.

Robert slid on his knees and quickly scooped up Takuma's head, placing it on his lap.

"Master, speak to me. It's Robert!"

"Huff... huff... I know who it is!" Takuma wheezed. "I want to see my children..."

"We're here, papa." Yuri replied softly, her and Ryo taking his hands.

Takuma's face twisted as he took painful breaths to try and get the words out. "Hufff... hufffff... Yuri... Ryo... I'm done. I can't go on."

That instantly caused three pairs of eyes to start leaking.

"F-father...!"

"Papaaaaaaa..!"

"M-Master... sniff... master... please don't leave us!" Robert sobbed.

"I'm not... cough cough... I'm not dying, you idiots!" Takuma grunted. "I just can't fight anymore! I'm calling it quits!"

That stopped the tears at least, as their sorrow was replaced by embarassment.

"But Papa, you won." Yuri encouraged. "Don't you wanna sleep on it one night before making such a rash decision?"

"No... I know when I'm done." Takuma wheezed. "My decision is final. You three... carry on..."

As the paramedics came to take Brocken and Takuma away, Chizuru walked up to them. "He's quitting? Hmm... great. That puts a strange turn on things."

"What'll we do now?" Ryo shrugged.

"In the event that the winner can't continue to the next round, an alternate bout will take place. Two very lucky people are about to get the chance of a lifetime."

 **This tourney would be incomplete without World Heroes lol. Even if they're mostly fodder.**

 **HOW are the World Heroes in this tourney, you ask after 9 chaps? Kumite is such a glorious tournament, it's not bound by the human concept of time. Fighters from all over time itself come to answer the call of this epic contest : )**

 **Next chapter... Takuma needs a replacement. Who's it gonna be? I already know lol. And I really need to get some more squash matches out of the way... maybe I'll just do a little montage with all the obvious bigshots winning lol. I dunno. What do you guys think?**

 **I love you all.**


	10. Chapter 10: Opening Round, pt 6

**Gaaah... you're gonna hate this one, I know it. But you KNEW this moment had to come eventually lol. Let's just get through these squash matches quickly and painlessly, eh?**

 **Author's Pick: I had sick satisfaction writing #23. There's just something about K' systematically beating someone down while being so lazy and chill that is just... delicious~ (giddy laugh)**

 **There's really no surprises in this one, but hope you enjoy nonetheless. I STILL put love and care into the fight choreography.**

Chizuru walked out to the center of the Coliseum, microphone in hand. Clearing her throat one good time, she spoke:

"Attention everyone! I've just received word that Takuma Sakazaki is withdrawing from the tournament, due to injuries rendering him unable to continue. We will now have an alternate bout to determine who will take his place! Several hundred fighters who were unable to enter put their names in a sweepstakes that we held before the tournament began, in order to select alternates in the event of a withdrawal. The winner of this fight will immediately advance to the next round!"

 **OPENING ROUND ALTERNATE BOUT: JIN CHONREI VS RODY BIRTS**

"So... they've come after all..." Tung nodded, a hand on his chin.

"The Jin Twins are here?" that question was courtesy of Mai Shiranui, who was back from medical evaluation and perfectly healthy.

"Miss Shiranui... shouldn't you be at the hospital?"

"No way, Master Tung! As soon as I heard Andy got his fight notice, I came back as soon as possible~"

"Hahaha... of course you did. Yes, it appears Chonshu and Chonrei couldn't stay away from this. I'm betting both of them entered the alternate sweepstakes, in the hopes that at least one of them would be picked."

"Those boys behaving lately?"

"Oh yes, yes. They've actually moved out of my place, and gotten their own apartment in Hong Kong. I try to help out whenever I can, but I imagine they've entered this tournament in hopes of achieving financial stability. I can tell they don't like me helping them. They're very strong boys."

Mai smiled. "It's nice to see them so ambitious. I hope everything works out for them, even if they don't win this tournament."

"What makes you think Chonrei can't?"

"Duh! Because I'M in it! Hee hee~"

In the combat zone, Chonrei stood statue-still, naught but a mischievous little smirk on his face. His arms rested at his sides, as if he wasn't ready for combat at all.

On the other side, his opponent Rody Birts was VERY ready. The private detective was brandishing his tonfas, a scowl on his face.

"Alright, kid! I'm not gonna blow this opportunity!" Rody spat. "I got a girl up there watching me, and if I don't win that 2 million dollars she's gonna whoop my ass something fierce! I NEED THAT MONEY, so we can retire from our shitty job as private eyes. Now, you really wanna scrap? Or maybe you could just run away and avoid getting your kneecap shattered!"

Chonrei rolled his eyes, still not moving an inch. "Tell you what mister... I'll give you 10 free hits on me. No charge."

Rody's obnoxious eyebrow shot up. "...Eh? Are you jerkin' me around?"

"Come at me."

 **FIGHT!**

Rody shrugged. "No problem kid. Here I come!"

The blonde man rushed in, twirling the tonfa in his right hand. When at last he closed in on Chonrei, he let the long end face upwards and he swung with all his might...

But Jin's body suddenly shifted 3 feet to the right, and the tonfa hit nothing but air.

"Eh?! What the hell?!"

"One."

Rody tried again; Chonrei's body once again shifted completely to the left. But still, he hadn't actually MOVED an inch: not lifted his foot off the ground, not bent his knees... not even wiggled his toes. Jin's entire body was moving at once and dodging Rody's strikes... but the boy didn't move a limb.

"How in god's name are you...?!"

"Two."

"Grrrr! HAH! HYAAH! TAAAH!"

Rody swung with no discipline whatsoever, like he was playing whack-a-mole. Chonrei just maintained that little smirk as his body kept moving around as one singular form, as if he could dodge Rody's strikes with just a mere thought.

"That's six."

"HYAAH!"

"That's seven."

"HYAAH! HYAAAH!"

"One more..."

"Grrrr... f***ING GO DOWN!"

Rody lunged and put his body into one tremendous swing; Chonrei's smirk didn't fade as he lifted his right forearm and stopped the tonfa in its tracks.

"Get out of my sight."

Chonrei presented his left palm to Rody's stomach; a rather sizable yellow ball of chi manifested, then abruptly exploded. The blonde detective was blown off his feet, skidding along the ground several seconds before finally laying dormant. He felt like he took a 12 gauge to the chest; getting up was out of the question.

 **WINNER: JIN CHONREI**

"BROTHER! YOU DID IT!"

When he heard his brother's voice, Chonrei's rather menacing disposition seemed to brighten in a flash; a huge smile spread on his face as he extended his arms, awaiting Chonshu's embrace.

"Chonrei!" Jin exclaimed as his brother in red tackled him, arms tightening around him. The blue-clad brother returned the embrace with equal affection.

"I can't believe we have this chance... I wish I could fight alongside you..."

Chonrei stroked his younger brother's hair. "I know, brother. But I will be strong enough for the two of us. I swear, I will win this competition and the two of us will have the easy life from here on. No more being unable to properly support ourselves. No more relying on Master Tung for handouts. WE are going to carve out our own life."

"Brother... I believe in you."

The display of brotherly affection in the Coliseum had several eyes moistening in the Coliseum, from fans and fighters alike. Their hearts were melting in their chests, humbled and moved by such a powerful and sincere moment.

"Those two... sniff... ahh... I take back what I said earlier." Mai sobbed. "I'm gonna root for them. Even if I'm in this tournament and so is Andy... sniff... I'm rooting for them!"

Meanwhile, Rody had a visitor: a very disgruntled visitor. She was a tall blonde woman, who seemed to love denim as she was clad in a blue vest and jeans. She looked down at Rody angrily, her hand on a dangerous brown leather weapon...

"Uhh... heh heh. Hey Lenny. I uh... don't suppose you wanna take your hand off of that- OOF! OWWW! AHHH! NOT SO HARD!"

"YOU! INCOMPETENT! ASSHOLE! THERE! GOES! OUR! BEACH! HOME! IN! BOCA!"

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #23: BOB WILSON VS K' DASH**

Kula was so bouncy, she'd have to be tied down to stay still. The ice cream cone in her hand was just dripping away, quickly changing from a solid component to a soupy white mess. Although she was all alone now, since Maxima was being tended to, Kula had enough hype for the both of them combined as she eagerly awaited her dear companion to show his stuff.

"GO K'! YOU CAN DO IT! WOO! GO K'! GO K'! GOOOO K'! A-ahh, my ice cream!"

In the combat zone, the resident bad boy of King of Fighters had his usual lackadaisical demeanor. His hands were in his pockets, he was slouching... his eyes couldn't be seen because of his dark shades, but his mouth was obviously curved downwards. Every few seconds, an annoyed little breathy sigh would leak out.

"I'm Bob Wilson, friend!" the kindhearted Brazilian smiled. "I'm here to represent Capoeira and promote Pao Pao Cafe!"

"I don't care." K' retorted.

 **FIGHT!**

Bob Wilson immediately got into ginga, the traditional stance of Capoeira. His body was in constant motion, rocking left and right while he swung his arms to maintain his balance.

K' let out another sigh; just looking at Bob moving left and right over and OVER was giving him a headache. He just wanted this done, so he could sit back down...

Bob lunged forward, spinning around and throwing a massive wheel kick. The exertion of his body was so great, he had to use his arms to stabilize his body afterwards.

Unfortunately, it was a wasted effort; K' lazily tilted his head back, exerting the least amount of effort possible... and the foot whizzed past his face, only succeeding in making his hair move a little.

Bob lunged and threw a sweep kick; K' lifted his foot to dodge it, then came forward with a sharp jab that knocked Bob backwards. Bob regained his balance and tried to close in, but K' caught him flush with two more crisp jabs. K's jabs were extremely fast and accurate; leading with the back of his fist allowed him to snap them out quicker than a conventional stance.

Wiping a tiny trickle of blood, Bob cartwheeled forward and transitioned into a flying wheel kick; K' ducked and Bob was forced to spin all the way back around. The Capoerista tried to come around with an openhanded strike, but K' hit him hard with a hook to the body and stunned him. Bob's face was wide open, and K' continued the onslaught with a forward elbow that snapped his head back, followed by a staggering leg kick to the back of his knee. Bob's leg buckled, and K' followed up with a sharp knee to his stomach.

The savage 4-hit combo had Bob on his hands and knees, stumbling every time he tried to get back up. K' looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat; just standing there with hands in pockets and that same tired face.

"Jesus, K' is an animal." Benimaru winced. "No wonder he won three King of Fighters in a row."

"So who would you say you had more success with? His team... or mine?" Kyo asked, a little smirk on his face.

"D-don't put me on the spot like that, man. You're both badasses, okay?"

K' stood there patiently as Bob slowly got back up to his feet, his face swollen and nose bleeding a lot more now.

"Jeez, aren't you done yet?" K' grumbled.

"You fight well, my friend!" Bob smiled, surprisingly happy despite taking a beating. "But I'm not finished yet! Get ready for THIS!"

Bob did a handstand and thrust his feet forward, attempting to bicycle kick K' in the face. K' sighed as he caught Bob's ankles and thrust his foot into Bob's stomach, making the Capoerista immediately sprawl out on the ground in agony.

"Sigh... I've had enough of this. You gonna get back up a second time?"

Bob DID get back up; albeit on shaky legs.

"Great... you did."

Bob charged forward with one last wheel kick, and K' laid him out as soon as it whiffed. The emo bad boy smacked him in the face with a backfist, brought a horizontal elbow down into his ribs, then caught him in the face with a rising knee as soon as the Capo hunched over.

K' turned his back to Bob, one hand in his pocket... and his red gloved hand raised.

"Tch."

With a casual snap of his finger, a spontaneous burst of flame exploded in Bob's face and sent the Capo facedown to the ground, this time for good.

 **WINNER: K' DASH**

"K'! YOU'RE AMAZING~" Kula squealed. She was so excited, she accidentally flung her ice cream cone halfway across the stands; Yamazaki grunted and caught it seconds before it was about to splatter all over him.

Hands in his pockets, K' slinked away and returned to his seat. As soon as he sat back down, he threw a leg over his lap and buried his cheek in his hand.

"Nice fight, K'!" Kula complimented.

"Yeah, I know."

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #24: TERRY BOGARD VS LUCKY GLAUBER**

Two hardcore veterans were deep in combat: a one-time competitor of the infamous USA Team, and a beloved fighter to all... one who needed no introduction. This man was a lot more than a champion of King of Fighters: he was a pioneer, one of the founding fathers who put Southtown on the map. The exploits of this legendary figure spanned several years... and his name would forever reside in the hearts of billions.

"It's an honor to fight you one-on-one, Terry Bogard." Lucky Glauber smiled as he blocked Terry's punch with his trusty basketball.

"It's a pleasure to face you too, Lucky." Terry grinned as he threw a spinning kick to his opponent's stomach, which missed. "It's been a long time, hasn't it my friend?"

As Lucky sidestepped the kick, he threw his ball in the air and Karate-kicked it towards Terry's face. "I regret only ever getting to be in two tournaments. We missed out on a lot of fun times, you and I."

Terry punched the basketball out of the way. "Well, look on the bright side. At least I didn't get to see all of your tricks, haha."

Lucky grinned. "You couldn't be more right, my friend!"

Lucky bounced his basketball between his legs, causing it to shoot upwards and catch Terry in the face. As Bogard stumbled, Lucky seized the opening and came forward.

"HYAAAAAAAAH!" he screeched as he threw a lunging side kick to Terry's face, his left leg propelling off the ground to whip his right foot forward with speed and power. His long legs added to his power, smashing into Terry's guard and making the Lone Wolf fall on his ass.

"Nice hit." Terry grinned as he adjusted his hat, then quickly sprang upwards.

Lucky continued to press forward with whipping side kicks, using his left leg for propulsion and his right leg for kicking. Terry bounced them off of his forearm... but his arm was getting sore. A few more of those could break it!

Deciding it was time to stop Lucky's offense, Terry made his move. As the basketball player tried to kick him once more... Terry caught his ankle.

"Wha..?!"

"Too slow." Terry smirked as he yanked Lucky forward and caught him behind the ear with an overhand right, felling the basketball player. He would have landed on his face... but Lucky extended his basketball to cushion the impact, and he was mostly unharmed.

Lucky sprang back up; lifting his ball high above his head, he bounced it on the ground with all his might. The ball shot upwards and hit Terry in the stomach.

"Ouuuuf...!"

This was Lucky's chance; he leaped at Terry, intending to take him out with a flying kick.

"WATAAAAAAAAAAH!"

But Terry always had a plan, even as he was hunched over. His position just made it easier to slam his fist into the ground and unleash his strongest technique:

"POWAHHHHH GEYSERRRRR!"

Lucky had no way of dodging it, as he was mid-air with his foot extended. In a flash, his body was bathed in a blazing yellow torrent of fearsome chi, swallowing him whole and frying him with its awesome power.

"OHHH look at that! The classic Power Geyser! Ha! That move is as old as time itself." Benimaru laughed.

"Even in this day and age, Terry's original Power Geyser can end a fight in a second." Kyo nodded.

"Alright Terry! Way to turn back the clock!" Mai cheered.

Terry stood back up and tossed his cap with a grin. Just as his hat hit the ground, so too did Lucky's body.

 **WINNER: TERRY BOGARD**

"Welp, that was to be expected." Robert nodded. "Show me something I haven't seen."

"You think Ryo's up next? He received his notice a couple fights ago." Yuri asked.

"Yeah... I wouldn't be surprised if he was next."

Terry sat back down next to Mary, the blonde girl smiling and leaning in to give him a celebratory kiss.

"You still got the touch, you stud." she winked.

Terry just smiled and threw his arm around Mary, leaning back with a relaxed sigh. The man couldn't have been more relieved, having just validated his status as a still-dangerous mofo even in present time.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #25: ANDY BOGARD VS MUDMAN**

Andy flew through the air with a somersault, descending upon his strange masked opponent with both feet extended. His impact was spot on... but the man's humongous facial accessory absorbed the blow and left him unharmed.

"Damn...!" Andy cursed as he backflipped to a safe distance.

Mudman tried to leap forward and headbutt him, but Andy easily sidestepped and countered with several swift punches and an elbow. But it was no use; all his attacks just echoed against the wooden mask with a THUD and left Mudman without a scratch.

"Damn, Andy can't hurt the guy." Terry stated.

"There's gotta be a way around that mask..." Mary put a hand to her chin and pondered.

"Come on, Andy! Put your back into it! More gusto! Hit harder! HARDER!" Mai coached. Mai was easily the center of attention right now, as she was on her feet and leaping up and down, waving her fists wildly in an attempt to motivate her love.

Mudman thrust his head forward; to Andy's shock, a transparent blue fist popped out and tried to deck him in the face.

"Whaa...?!" Andy was thrown off, but the ninja was still fast enough to backflip to a save distance.

"HISHOUKEN!" he tried to counter with his trusty fireball, but Mudman extended that same blue fist and destroyed the projectile.

"WOOHOOO!" the enthusiastic masked figure shouted as he came leaping in with a flying kick, both feet extended.

"Look out, Andy!" Mai shouted.

"I know, Mai!" Andy groaned as he leaped to the side and Mudman's attack missed. Andy lunged in with a deep elbow strike... but he still couldn't penetrate that perfect defense.

"WIN THIS AND YOU GET ANAL TONIGHT!" Mai blurted to the top of her lungs, bearing absolutely no shame. Needless to say, that outburst produced a... colorful reaction from those around her.

"M-MAI!" Andy stammered, nearly tripping from sheer embarassment. "SHUT THE F- AGHHH!"

Andy was so flustered that he took a headbutt to the face, dizzying him as he tried to leap backwards to a safe distance. Upon landing, he fell over, but he got back up quickly after.

Mudman didn't pursue; he prepared to unleash his ultimate attack. Doing a traditional and totally silly tribal dance, an array formed around him and glowed with bright blue energy. He continued dancing, as if preparing some macabre ceremony...

"Oh snap, that masked guy's about to do something." Terry grunted. "KEEP ON YOUR TOES, ANDY!"

But the younger Bogard couldn't prepare for what came: from the Earth, several tiny blue midget spirits began to spawn, each one aggressively sprinting towards him. Before Andy knew it, he had been swarmed by them: two on his arms, two on his legs, one hugging his torso, one on the back of his neck, and one on top of his head.

The blue spirits proceeded to start beating the tar out of Andy. One hammer-fisted the top of his head, one tried to strangle him, another was punching him in the gut while two others were headbutting him in the ribs. Andy tried to defend himself, but his arms and legs were being pinned. He was helpless...

However, there was a silver lining: Mudman was still wide open, still doing his funny dance. Apparently, he needed to continue the dance to maintain focus of his power. If Andy could break through... he could...

"There's gotta be a weakness to that mask." Terry thought aloud.

"Dead center? That's a sturdy-ass mask, but surely there's got to be a hollow area." Mary replied. "It's got to be the center-most point of the mask."

"You think so?"

"Yeah! Trust me, hitting something dead center is always the solution to everything."

"Sounds like logic to me. Let's tell Andy."

Jumping to his feet, Terry cupped his mouth and shouted:

"ANDY! HIT THE MASK DEAD CENTER! IT'S THE WEAK SPOT!"

Andy was in a lot of pain and discomfort... but he squinted his eyes and focused. He stared deep into Mudman's mask, allowing his keen ninja sense to guide him... he only had enough strength for one decisive attack...

His eyes opened... and he unleashed his true might.

"ZAINEKEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

Andy shot forward like a bullet from a gun, the tip of his elbow extended. His blinding speed allowed him to break out of the grasp of the spirits; nothing could stop him now.

CRACK!

Andy's elbow collided straight in the middle, like an arrow hitting a bullseye. The mask didn't even have a dramatic cracking; it shattered instantly, into several large flying wooden chunks. The blunt impact of Andy's swift strike resonated to Mudman's brain, sending the tribal man into a dance of a different kind: one that ended with him collapsing to the ground in a daze.

 **WINNER: ANDY BOGARD**

"That's more like it, bro." Terry grinned, tilting his cap out of respect for Andy's victory.

"Alright Andyyyyyyy!" Mai cheered. "The Ninja Lovers advance to the next round!"

"...The Ninja Lovers?" Mary snickered.

"Yeah, that's my nickname for us."

"Sounds like a cheesy kung fu movie."

"Well if it WAS... it'd be a box office success~"

"Ah, Mai..."

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #26: RYO SAKAZAKI VS KIM DRAGON**

"The very first winner of King of Fighters... Ryo is truly the pioneer for all of us." Kyo nodded with respect.

"Uhhhh... I have to disagree, dude. I think Bogard is the pioneer." Benimaru argued.

"It's Ryo."

"Bogard."

"Ryo!"

"Bogard!"

"RYO!"

"F***ING BOGARDS!"

"Will you two dumbasses shut the hell up over there? You're giving me a headache!" Iori spat.

"Yeah, I second that!" Shingo agreed.

"You shut up too. Sheep."

"R-right... I'm gonna go sit back over there with them now."

In the combat zone, Ryo Sakazaki was locked in a fierce battle with a Korean movie star that was quite light on his feet. Ryo threw a front kick, but Dragon slapped it away with his hand and countered with a sharp jab that caught Ryo on the nose. Ryo shook the cobwebs and countered with a body punch, following up with an uppercut that knocked him on his back foot, but Dragon bounced forward whipping his foot upwards with his own counter. Ryo blocked with his forearm, but Kim doubled up with another jab to the nose, followed by a mean body kick.

Ryo backed away in pain, but retaliated with a deep sweep kick to try and distance the Korean. Dragon was able to leap away, backflipping in mid air and landing gracefully.

"Alright twinkle toes..." Ryo spat. "Get a load of Kyokugen! HAOH KEN!"

Ryo thrust his fists forward and unleashed his blue fireball, one that had gotten him out of so many jams in the past. Unfortunately, Kim Dragon was not in the mood for fireballs.

"ACHOOOOOOOOOOO!" Dragon kia'd as he leaped forward with a flying kick, his body engulfed in a blazing dragon-shaped chi. He tore through Ryo's fireball easily and connected deep to the Kyokugen fighter's stomach.

"Okay..." Ryo winced as he got back to his feet. "You've got some moves. Ugh..."

"Hey Kim, do you know this guy?" Terry asked.

"What, you assume that all Kims from Korea know each other? It's a common name!" Kaphwan retorted.

"S-sorry, I just..."

"KIM! You're up next." Chizuru called out. "Sorry for such short notice, but Joe says he's not ready yet in the locker room. Can I have your entry card?"

Kim rose to his feet, angrily eyeballing Terry. "You're lucky I just got my fight notice. Hmph."

In the combat zone, Dragon was unleashing one of his deadliest techniques. He thrust his fist forward at ungodly speed, unleashing a machine gun volley of punches faster than the naked eye could capture. If any one of those connected... every last one of them would follow.

Ryo backed up, unimpressed. "Oh you think you've got fast punches? Check MINE OUT!"

Ryo lunged forward and unleashed his Thresher Punch, a volley of punches with equal speed, magnitude, and output of Dragon's.

The crowd's eyes were mesmerized; 100...200...300... the punches were spilling out so fast, it could have very well been in the thousands by now! This was an ultimate battle of endurance, as two fighters stood their ground and traded the most insane barrage of punches the world has ever seen.

"Good lord... I'm getting dizzy..." Robert said, forced to close his eyes and look away lest he go wobbly.

"I don't think Ryo can keep this up much longer." Yuri replied.

"The Korean guy's getting tired too..."

Sure enough, the punches were coming slower... slower... the train wheels were skidding to a halt. Both men were spent, hunched over, heaving, the punches no longer coming. Right now, a bottle of water between them would feel like winning the lottery.

"Huff... huff... huff... you punch... good..." Ryo panted.

"So... do you... huff... huff..." Dragon responded.

"Agh... I got no energy... left..."

"Same here..."

"What do you say... we finish this... with no more fancy tricks? Just bare knuckles, mano a mano."

"Huff... huff... very well. Let's do this..."

Dragon stepped one foot forward, putting his whole body into a vicious right cross; Ryo swayed his head and wobbled him with a counter-left. As Dragon stumbled back, Ryo poured it on him with a spinning kick to the face; unfortunately, his opponent was still wary enough to block it. Dragon caught his kick at the ankle and countered with a gruesome side-stomp to his stationary kneecap.

Ryo's leg gave out immediately, but before he hit the floor, he managed to give Dragon a little gift: a straight fist to his solar plexus.

They were both down, sharing an equal amount of pain... but they both stood up.

"WATAAAAAAH!" Dragon threw a lunging front kick to Ryo's stomach. He tried to come forward with a roundhouse, but Ryo stopped him with a straight left to the face that dropped him.

"GO RYOOOOO! HE'S DONE!" Robert cheered.

Dragon got back up dizzy, barely staying on his feet. He was just barely keeping it together...

Ryo lunged forward, fist drawn back... and he finished the job with a clean uppercut. Dragon's feet left the ground, his body getting at least 1 second of air before he fell dormant.

 **WINNER: RYO SAKAZAKI**

"YEEEEEEEEAH RYOOOOOOOO!" Robert and Yuri leaped up and embraced, mutually celebrating a great victory for their beloved friend and brother.

"Huff... huff... Dad... King... that was for you..." Ryo panted out before collapsing to his knees. Luckily, Yuri and Robert went out there to help him; Robert put an arm around his best friend and lifted him, while Yuri gave him a bottle of water.

"There you go, buddy. You deserve it." Robert smiled.

"You did awesome, bro." Yuri praised, getting on the other side of him to help support. "Papa's probably jumping for joy in a hospital gown."

"I just wish he was here to see it in person... if you guys don't mind, I'm gonna go join him and King at the hospital. You gonna be okay on your own, Yuri?"

Yuri smiled. "Don't worry, Robbie won't be leaving my side~"

"Yeah, I'll look out for her buddy. You head on down to the hospital and rest up." Robert patted him on the back.

"I appreciate it, brother." Ryo smiled. "You two take care. See you in the next round."

 **OPENING ROUND #27: KIM KAPHWAN VS MUSCLE POWER**

This was a tricky one for Kim. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was a superior striker to most everyone on the planet... but the man standing before him was a different breed. An All-American boasting a bodybuilder's physique, Muscle Power was a big, powerful, plodding wrestler. Kim could kick him Monday through Friday... but if he got trapped in Muscle Power's big arms, he would get squeezed like a roll of paper towels.

"YOU'RE IN MY RING NOW, SISTER!" Muscle Power barked, his finger in the air to indicate he's #1.

"...Sister?"

Muscle Power charged forward with a double hammer fist, swinging at Kim's head like a lumberjack splitting wood. Kim easily sidestepped the sloppy swing and caught him in the chin with a spinning kick. As the wrestler backed up, Kim smashed his leg with a low kick, then spun around and doubled up with a spinning kick to the stomach. Muscle Power was backed up... but hardly stunned.

"YAAAAAGH!" he roared as he leaped high and tried to come down on Kim with a splash. Kim jumped back, and the beefy man crashed into the ground. Seizing the opportunity to punish, Kim somersaulted forward into a heel strike, conking the back of his head and smashing his face against the ground.

Kim rolled backwards to his feet and Muscle Power stood up; his lip and nose were bleeding now, but he just grinned.

The wrestler lunged in with a lariat, but Kim ducked and got behind him. Muscle Power spun around with a clothesline, but Kim limbo'd underneath his beefy forearm.

"WATAH!" Kim kiai'd as he leaped up and clocked him in the nose with a right kick, then pushed off of his face and twisted around to kick him again with the left. Muscle power stumbled backwards, but charged forward with a mighty forearm that caught Kim flush in the face.

"Damn...!" Kim cursed as he wobbled. "I'm still having trouble seeing on my left side..."

Muscle Power got bold and tried to throw a boot to his stomach, but Kim intercepted his leg with a snap kick to the kneecap. Kim followed up with a front kick to the stomach, doubling up with a spinning kick to the face.

But STILL, Muscle Power didn't go down. He just smiled and taunted, flexing one arm while using the other arm to wag a finger at him.

"Damn it... can this guy even be hurt?!" Kim cursed.

Kim threw a roundhouse... but Muscle Power caught his leg.

"Ohhh shit... that's exactly what Kim DIDN'T want to happen." Terry sighed.

Kim was taken on a wild ride as Muscle Power put him in a Fireman's Carry, then proceeded to spin 'round and 'round at dizzying speed. Kim's head was a rotating globe, his world spinning so fast he thought he was going to puke...

The next thing Kim knew, he was airborne... and then on the ground with the most unpleasant impact he had ever felt.

"Hnnnnnngh...!"

All at once, the nerves in his body screamed with pain. He was already in bad shape coming into this fight... now he was twice as bad. This was a paralyzing, CRIPPLING pain... he

"Damn... I've always watched pro wrestlers get the shit beat out of them on live TV, and they just lay there limp on the ground. I always wondered if they were hurting so bad they couldn't move, or if it was just scripted for them to lay there motionless." Robert monologued. "But THIS... this is real pain for Kim. He just got bodied by a pro wrestler, and I KNOW he can't get up."

"KIM! He's coming for you!" Terry shouted. "MUSCLE THROUGH IT!"

Kim clenched his fists; he WASN'T going to go out in round 1! He had done more than the other 79 to get here; he actually had to fight and defend his entry card! And now, having fought and bled to be here, he was going to give up in Round 1? Hell no!

Muscle Power was coming at him in a bear hug gesture, but Kim leaped up to his feet and swiftly counterattacked.

"I know one place that'll make you go down..."

Just at the beefy wrestler was coming at him, Kim dived at his lower half and extended his right foot, throwing a devastating dropkick into his liver. Immediately, Muscle Power's advance was halted; his body shut down like someone flipped a switch on him. His arms instinctively went down to clutch the afflicted area, his knees buckled, his body hunched over, stiffening to try and stifle the pain... and he fell forward.

Kim rolled to the side, just in time to avoid the large man falling over like a trailer in a hurricane.

 **WINNER: KIM KAPHWAN**

"Holy... he just toppled f***ing Goliath." Shen Woo whistled.

"It doesn't matter how big and strong you are... the human body has several weak spots that will fell even the toughest of men." Duo Lon nodded.

There was a little intermission after Kim's fight, since several fights had gone past so quickly. Everyone was allowed a nice little grace period to stretch their limbs, and go get refreshments. Victorious fighters celebrated, while others returned from medical evaluation with their heads held high.

As for Chizuru... the woman was all business as always.

"OSWALD!"

Chizuru came running towards the dapper old man, who was sitting peacefully with one leg draped over the other. He had a sly little smile on his face, as if he was basking in the lovely climate and the bustling atmosphere. He was truly drinking in life.

"Hmm?" he made a slight grunt to acknowledge her presence.

"I need your entry card."

"I gave it to you."

Chizuru angrily pulled out the supposed card, showing it to him. The card in question was a simple 7 of clubs, with a red back.

"This isn't an entry card. This is a playing card!"

Not even looking at the card, Oswald swiped it from her hand and flipped it facedown... then he simply gave it back to her.

"There."

"Is this a joke?" Chizuru grumbled, taking the card back and flipping it back over. "I'm not in the mood for... pranks..?"

Chizuru's eyes widened; her mouth dropped as she gazed upon what Oswald had just handed back to her. She scanned it up and down, front side and back... the 7 of clubs was gone, as if it was never there. It became his entry card, before her very eyes.

"H-how did you..."

Not bothering to respond to the dumbfounded Chizuru, Oswald rose to his feet and dusted off his stylish black suit. Straightening his red glasses, he put his hands in his pockets and casually strolled towards the locker rooms.

 **There, that wasn't so painful was it? I apologize if those fights weren't up to snuff, but they were all destined to be onesided beatdowns anyway. Don't worry, there's still some very fun matchups to come before the end of Round 1. There's a few I'm REALLY excited to write : )**

 **That's it for World Heroes, I promise. There's still a few beloved Fatal Fury oldies to come, and then the rest are KoF regulars.**

 **Only 13 fights left in Round 1! Stay tuned!**


	11. Chapter 11: Opening Round, pt 7

**Let's get right into this.**

 **Author's Pick: I was proud of my work in this chap. Except... #31 could be a little better.**

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #28: JOE HIGASHI VS WHIP**

"Psssst... hey K'. Seirah's fighting next. Are you watching? Huh? Are you watching, K? Are you?"

"Kula, sweetie... I'm watching."

"...Sweetie~?"

"Shut up."

Whip stood confidently in the combat zone, with the overwhelming support of Kula (and K' to a lesser extent) as well as her fellow Ikari Warriors. So far, they were undefeated; Whip intended to maintain that streak.

But this would be no easy task, for her opponent was one of the most decorated Muay Thai fighters in the world. Joe Higashi had put in the time to be called one of the most iconic martial artists of the century. Long ago, when King of Fighters belonged to Geese, Joe was one of the true beasts along with the Bogard brothers. Safe to say, he had well-cemented his legacy.

The Lone Wolves... The Ikari Warriors... someone's 0 was about to go.

"Joe Higashi... you're an outstanding close-range fighter." Whip complimented, brandishing her blue leather weapon. "Consider me your antithesis."

Joe chuckled as he got into stance, light on his dominant foot with his fists high. "You're pretty good with that thing, lady. But when I'm done with you, you'll consider a job at the Circus!"

 **FIGHT!**

Joe took one step forward, and Whip let him have it. Swinging the leather back to gather speed, she unleashed her whip forward and the tip struck him in the face, opening up a huge red gash on his cheek.

"Ooooogh... Whip draws first blood." Terry winced.

"This'll be a painful one to watch." Andy fretted.

"Then why don't you watch ME instead~?" Mai cooed, clinging to his arm and kissing his cheek.

"H-hey, cmon now Mai. It's Joe here. D-don't distract me..."

Joe cautiously stepped forward again, but the terrifying crack of the whip at his feet stopped his advance. He scowled as he measured the distance; Whip was several yards away.

"Attagirl, Whip! He can't even come near you!" Ralf cheered.

"She has the key to victory. She just has to maintain it." Heidern pointed out.

The next few minutes were consistent; Joe would try to ease his way forward, but Whip would unleash her weapon at his feet with the sound of thunder. The Thai fighter couldn't get in close, to unleash his art where it was best used.

"Alright..." Joe spat. "Let's get you moving a little. HURRICANE UPPAHHHH!"

Joe threw an uppercut at the air, launching his signature projectile: a forceful tornado of considerable size and speed. The whistling gale winds soared towards Whip, threatening to blow her away.

"Ah!" she grunted as she quickly sidestepped, and the tempest tore past her. But this was what Joe wanted: a distraction to help him move forward.

"HE'S CLOSING IN, SEIRAH!" Kula squealed.

"No he's not." Whip hissed as she twirled her whip around her head and unleashed it. The leather cord wrapped around his leg, stopping his rapid advance.

"Sh-shit! Whoooooah!"

Joe was yanked off his feet as Whip gave her weapon a sharp tug, sending him downwards. But she didn't stop there; she started dragging him towards her, intending to punish her downed opponent.

"GET OUT OF IT JOE!" Andy yelled.

"YEAH, JOE! YOU DUMB SHIT!" Mai seconded.

Struggle as he did, Joe was helpless as he was dragged up close and personal. When at last he rested at Whip's feet, she raised her boot and brought it down on his ribcage.

"Haaaaaughhh...!" he cried out as his insides flared up, his breathing becoming acidic.

Whip was smart; she retracted her weapon and created distance instead of remaining up close. Joe was badly hurt... now she could finish him from afar.

Joe got up, on shaky legs. He had to hunch over slightly as he breathed, the pain too intense to posture up. But still, the Muay Thai legend wasn't deterred; he stubbornly pressed forward.

"HURRICANE UPPER! HURRICANE UPPER!"

Joe sent two more whirlwinds at her, which she evaded, then he started charging at her. But Whip was still too far away; she was able to intercept him by unleashing her whip and coiling it around his neck.

"Ohhhh shit... that's very bad for Joe." Terry sighed.

Whip charged at him and leaped, frontflipping over his head. Her momentum caused the whip around Joe's neck to yank him HARD off his feet, as if someone pulled a rug out from under him. Joe did a full 360 before landing facefirst hard.

"GO SEIRAH! GOOOO SEIRAH! K', why aren't you cheering for your sister?"

"I am, I am! Just... internally."

There were joyous cheers from the Ikari Warriors... but a much different tune on the Bogards' side.

"Jesus, Joe is getting tore up. Someone should stop this." Terry grunted.

"No, he's not done yet. He'll find a way." Andy reassured.

In the combat zone, it didn't look too hopeful. Whip was behind Joe, her weapon still around his neck, strangling the life out of him. Any minute now, he would lose consciousness...

"Just tap out, Higashi!" Whip commanded. "I don't want to put you to sleep!"

Joe's breathing was already painful enough; this was TWICE as bad. He could feel his adrenaline pumping, fueling his muscles, commanding him to unleash strength he seldom had to...

"Aggh! Ahhk! I'M... NOT... DONE!"

Whip's combat strategy had been almost flawless... ALMOST. She had a plan and stuck to it mostly, but right now... she was close to Joe. That was a bad place to be, for she had created an opening for him to move in on her.

And move he did. Muscling his way to his feet, Joe spun around and gripped Whip's whip, holding her there in place. With a strained grin, he started to get closer to her... closer... Whip couldn't retreat, because her weapon was stuck around his neck!

"G-get away from me...!" Whip cursed.

But it was too late. Joe was on her, and he started slashing her face open with elbows. The first elbow opened her up wide underneath her right eye. The second elbow crashed into her left eye, and she could feel her orbital rim breaking. Her vision started fading in seconds, as rapid swelling took effect on her left side.

Her vision darkened, she could feel the warmth of her own blood... and Whip's spirit started to fade. She panicked, letting go of her weapon and retreating backwards with her fists raised.

But Whip without her whip was hardly a threat for Joe Higashi.

Joe thrust a swift front kick, burying the ball of his foot deep into her stomach. As she hunched over from the pain, he came forward with a flying knee that smashed her face clean. Whip wasn't dropped, but she was going backwards on drunken legs; Joe pressed forward and unleashed a front kick to her chin that put her on her butt.

"SEIRAH! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kula cried.

Not even conscious enough to know where she is, Whip tried to stand up again... but Joe threw a vicious kick to her body that shut her down the rest of the way. She was sent back to the ground, clutching her stomach in pain as she curled up in a fetal position. She was done.

 **WINNER: JOE HIGASHI**

"God damn! Joe f***ing turned that around in a snap!" Ralf cursed.

"There goes our perfect record..." Clark sighed.

"Joe truly is a veteran fighter. He was in deep trouble, but he didn't quit. A fight can flip quickly, and he just proved that." Heidern stated, lowering his head for this bitter moment.

The Bogards and Mai ran out to congratulate Joe, who was all smiles as he embraced his buddies.

"You scared the hell out of us there, Joe." Terry laughed.

"Cmon you guys, I had it handled the whole time. It's me!" Joe boasted.

In the stands, K' had to deal with an awkward situation; while he was strong enough to handle Whip's brutal defeat, the crying Kula was not.

"Shit Kula... come on. Why you crying?" K' nervously asked, scratching his head.

"Sniff sniff... I'm sorry..." Kula sobbed. "But seeing Seirah lose like that is so sad! Waaaaaah!"

"Ahh shit... cmon Kula, dry it up! I don't want Diana and Foxy coming down here..."

"I caaaaaaan't!"

"Gaaaah... dammit, come on. Let's go get you an ice cream or something. Shit..."

"Sniff... sniff... th-that would be nice..."

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #29: BLUE MARY VS SETH**

In a strange turn of events, the two opponents selected had actually been on the same team before... kind of.

Blue Mary DID work for Seth at one time as a contract mercenary alongside Vanessa and Ramon; as far as entering King of Fighters, however, Mary and Seth had never actually fought alongside each other. As fate would have it, they managed to avoid being on the same team in all the years they entered.

As they stood before each other, there was an obvious size discrepancy. Seth was a big, physically superior man, while Mary was slender in all aspects except her bountiful bosom. One cannot mistake that for weakness, however; if there's one thing Mary was good at, it's throwing people around and controlling them on the ground.

"Seth." Mary greeted with a wink. "It was fun working for you. Just don't get a swelled head because you were my squad leader."

Seth smirked, grabbing his suspenders and giving them a yank. "I know full well what you're capable of, girl. Just because we weren't together in King of Fighters doesn't mean I didn't study your style and take notes. I know exactly how to beat you, so don't think you're gonna be getting me down."

Mary brought her arms above her head and stretched, her impressive figure bulging in her red crop top. "Heh... that's what they all say. And then they walk home with their muscles feeling like taffy."

Seth flicked his nose and put his hands up. "So, you ready to do this?"

"Just one second. ANTON!"

Mary affectionately called out her dog's name as she shed her green jacket and tossed it in the air. Anton's ears perked up and he leapt from Terry's lap to run out there. With perfect speed and agility he leaped and snatched her jacket out of the air, then sprinted back to the stands to rest on Terry's lap once more.

"Now I'm ready." Mary smiled.

In the stands, Ramon was having a fit. He put his hands on his confused head as he bobbed back and forth.

"Agh! Who do I root for?! Seth is my amigo, but Mary is hot... agh! Seth! Mary! SETH! MARY!"

 **FIGHT!**

Mary cautiously approached, but didn't get in his range. Seth had his fists up face-level: an effective boxing stance. He looked ready to counter if she so much as twitched; perhaps a page from Vanessa's book?

"If there's one thing I learned from being on Seth's team... his defense is near perfect." Shingo stated. "He's a tough guy to hurt. I can't tell you the number of matches we squeaked by in 2000 thanks to him."

"Oh suuuure, let's all put Seth on a pedestal." Benimaru scoffed. "Whose name was the team named after again?"

"Beni, show some humility for once in your vain life. Sheesh!" Shingo groaned.

Mary stopped to think about it for a second... then she rushed in. As fast as she could put her foot down, Seth dropped her on her hands and knees with a swift right hook. Her world went spinning immediately, her eyes level with the distorted mess of a ground.

"Ouch! Seth hit her clean..." Benimaru winced.

Through sheer willpower, Mary sprang back up and quickly raised her forearms. Seth started pouring on her, putting all his oomph into his punches. He threw several alternating hooks, mixing in a few uppercuts here and there. Mary couldn't keep her feet planted; his massive blows were knocking her around like a cat swatting a shoelace. Her forearms were raised for dear life, but the force of his strikes was so much greater than her smaller frame could handle. She had to stop this...

Mary ducked under his swing and seized his right leg, locking her arms around his upper thigh and lifting to get him hopping on one foot. Seth was forced to halt his offense and focus on staying on his feet...

"Mary's got him now!" Terry bragged. "Now bring the big man down!"

Mary did just that; she pivoted her hip and simultaneously torqued on his leg to use his weight against him, slinging him to the ground on his butt. When Seth was effectively grounded, Mary quickly got to work; locking her legs around his thigh, she grabbed his ankle with both hands and twisted his foot in the opposite direction, putting him in a gruesome heel hook. A few more seconds like this, and Seth's femur would snap like a twig...

"This is it...!" Terry shouted.

"Calm down, loverboy." Mai patted. "It's not over yet."

Seth rolled over on his stomach and got to his hands and one available knee; through basically his own brute strength, he was able to out-muscle Mary and get back to his feet. Realizing she couldn't finish the job, Mary angrily let go of his leg and rolled backwards to safety.

"Damn... she couldn't get it. Seth's just too big for her." Andy sighed.

Seth came forward with a 1-2-3 flurry of punches, but Mary blocked them effectively and backed him up with a spinning backfist to his nose. Seth shook off the pain and blocked a side kick to his body, and the rolling sobat that came after.

Seth backed away... this time, in his normal stance of open hands at his sides. His dominant left hand was extended outwards, ready to catch and counter a strike.

Mary lunged in with an overhand right, but Seth smacked her hand away and threw a sharp jab to her ribs. Mary recoiled slightly, but came forward with a rather weak leg kick and then spun around with a wild backfist. The kick bounced off of Seth's calf, and the veteran agent swayed his head back to avoid the swing.

Seth fired a backhanded jab faster than a slingshot, striking Mary in the eye and stunning her. Mary got desperate and tried to clinch with him... a knee to her solar plexus ruined her plans.

"Mary! Shit...!" Terry hissed through clenched teeth.

Mary fell to the ground, but she desperately clung to Seth's knees to work her way back up. Her muscles strained as she locked her arms tight around his tree trunks, trying desperately to bring them close together and yank him off his feet. But Seth's defense was flawless; he used his forearms to push down on the back of her head, putting all his weight on top of her to stifle her efforts. Eventually Mary couldn't hold on... and she lost her grip.

"She's in bad shape... Seth's having his way with her." Shingo commentated.

"Mary's gotta pull a rabbit to win this one... but she's done it before. That girl is FULL of tricks." Benimaru seconded.

"GO SETH! Uhh I mean... I BELIEVE IN YOU MARY! Uhhh... ahhh... dammit..." Ramon was still lost in his never-ending dilemma. He tried to stop and think about who Vanessa would root for... but that just made his head hurt worse.

Seth trapped her head between his armpit and bicep... and began pumping fists into her stomach. Over and over, he drew his arm back and slammed it into her body; each one would surely fell her if he wasn't holding her up. Mary was coughing, wheezing, the burning breaths producing tears in her eyes... but even now, she was twisting her head left and right, trying to pop her neck out from his beefy grip.

"Unng... ahhh... grrrrr... GAAAAAAAAH!"

Mary pried her head back and shoved Seth with all her might. Of course, she didn't actually move the bigger man... but it propelled her backwards enough to get some distance.

"Stand down, Mary." Seth requested. "Your style is useless against me, so there's no point in continuing this struggle any further. Don't make me hurt you worse."

Mary growled; her response was to throw herself against Seth's torso and clinch with him once again.

Seth sighed; he was able to stuff his arms underneath her armpits and easily throw her aside.

"You just don't quit, girl. I admire it, but you're near that fine line that crosses to foolishne-SSSSHIT!"

Mary smiled; she had him right where she wanted him. As soon as Seth had tossed her aside, she clung to his arms and used them to vault herself upwards. Reaching face-level, she hooked a leg around the back of his neck and brought both hands up to pull his head downwards. The bigger man's balance was broken, and he fell forward like a tree with no stump.

The two of them crashed to the ground, Seth on top of her, his neck being squeezed in a crushing triangle choke courtesy of her leg.

"Holy shit, she pulled guard. She f***ing pulled guard! HAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU MAD GENIUS!" Terry laughed.

"Yeah, but now Seth's on top of her." Andy scratched his head.

"It doesn't matter. Mary works her magic from top OR bottom."

"Oooooh tell me more~" Mai snickered.

Mary smiled as she bucked her hips left; she could steer Seth like a flight stick. Despite his bigger frame on top of her, she was able to use the leverage around his neck to roll him over onto the ground. But that was only part of the sweet deal; a mischievous grin spread on her lips as she used her free hands to snatch his arm and bend it painfully in a way it wasn't supposed to go.

Seth couldn't be in more trouble right now; not only was her leg squeezing the life out of him, his arm was being forcefully torn from its socket. He was receiving a double dose of Mary's special skills in the WORST way.

"Mary is a mean bitch." Shen Woo whistled. "Seth's gonna lose consciousness AND his arm if he doesn't call it quits."

"Let's see if the big man is too prideful to tap to the little lady." Ash snickered.

Unfortunately, Ash's pleasure was denied; Seth was not a fool, and he didn't want to go to sleep and possibly wake up in a cast. Before he accidentally blacked out, he quickly tapped and Mary released her lethal grip.

 **WINNER: BLUE MARY**

Mary rose to her feet in triumph, but her first instinct wasn't to boast victory. Instead, she immediately knelt down and tended to Seth.

"You okay, big guy?"

Seth coughed a few times before sitting upward, clutching his arm in pain. "Agh... I seriously thought I had you. I had you dead to rights! You're just too good, girl. I'm sorry I ever claimed to have figured you out, because that's impossible."

Mary smiled as she helped him up to his feet. "Heh... and if you claim that again, I'll make sure you walk home with one less working limb~"

Seth gave a good-natured chuckle. "You're scary as hell, you know that? Scary and sweet. Just what the hell are you, Mary?"

"I'm just a girl with a cute dog. Isn't that right, Anton~?"

Mary received her beloved dog in her arms; Anton immediately started giving her cheek a flurry of wet kisses. Terry followed soon after to give her some kisses of a different kind: his lips passionately planting against hers.

"Mmm... mmmmph~ you must have been watching me pretty hard to be this wound up." Mary cooed as their lips pulled apart.

Terry grinned as he went low and kissed her neck. "Nobody does it like you, babe."

"Careful... we still have 11 fights to sit through. Don't make me twist something you need." Mary teased.

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #30: LAURENCE BLOOD VS OSWALD**

"Deal with this commoner quickly, Laurence."

Those were the only orders Krauser had for his number two, who fashioned his red matador cape on his arm and bowed.

"Yes, my lord. He shall fall swiftly."

Laurence walked to the combat zone, his snobby disposition turning off everyone who saw him. The crowd had a mixed reaction; many were booing because they wanted to see him humbled, but there were also plenty others who cheered him by association with Krauser. They must have thought it unwise to get on Lord Stronheim's bad side...

On the other side, Oswald was already standing there waiting. He looked unworried: not a care in the world. A confident smirk stayed plastered on his lips as his hands rested in his pockets. What was the older gentleman thinking? Nobody knew... but perhaps it wasn't that big a mystery. Maybe Oswald was just a strange man in a strange world... and he was happy as can be. Not many people on the planet got to experience the bliss of TRUE content; in that facet, Oswald was truly wealthier than most.

"Ozzy looks so chill~" Ash giggled.

"I wonder if the old dude's still got it in him." Shen Woo pondered. "I'm sure he's not the same after I was done with him! Ha ha!"

Laurence finished strutting to the combat zone; when he looked upon his opponent, his eyes averted upwards as if Oswald was lower than him, undeserving of his gaze.

"...Shall we get this over with?" Laurence initiated, his voice carrying the audible signs of impatience and lack of fervor.

But Oswald wasn't shaken by his snark. His grin remained, as he slowly raised his hands up... his eyes still focused on Laurence.

"What are you staring at, creep? I said let's get started already!" Laurence commanded.

"...Look at my hands. Tell me... what do you see?"

Laurence's eyebrows furrowed upon hearing the question. "What kind of nonsense is this? I see nothing! I only hear the deluded ramblings of a senile fool."

Oswald chuckled, his lips widening to a toothy grin.

"Heh heh heh... I thought as much. We humans are such a sad species, only capable of seeing the bare minimum, our eyes only trained to view what we perceive as finite. We're forever bound by our own feeble perspectives, our droll, poignant outlooks on a world of truly endless possibility, limited only by the restrictions we impose on ourselves every day. It's a plague: a festering, stinking pox that poisons and rots what we contain within ourselves... the key to the universe."

Laurence scowled. "What are you babbling about?!"

Oswald extended his hand; before Laurence's stupefied eyes, a pair of cards appeared between his forefinger and thumb. The matador's mouth opened; he SWORE Oswald never moved even a finger.

"...But I'm different." Oswald continued. "My eyes have been opened. I can see what no other man sees, and that gives me more power than you could possibly imagine. The dark miasma that plagues your souls has no effect on me... because I'm a man liberated."

Laurence shook his head. "You talk a lot of nonsense. You speak as if you have some special power that nobody else is capable of."

Oswald shook his head. "Oh no, you're quite wrong. You're capable of it too: every man, woman and child can have the power at my fingertips. They can taste the divine saccharine as I do. It's as simple as a sleight of hand."

Laurence rolled his eyes. "Then enlighten me. What do I do?"

"Just open you eyes. Open your eyes... and see."

"...What? What the hell are you talking...?"

"Heh. I knew you wouldn't get it."

 **FIGHT!**

Laurence came forward, whipping his red cape left and right to try and throw Oswald off. The older man didn't move; he just stood still with a little smirk.

"I'm going to wipe that smugness off your face!" Laurence snarled as he drew his arm back, preparing to whip his cape in Oswald's face.

Oswald waited... waited for the arm to pull back... the cape to extend... now!

FLICK! FLICK!

Oswald flicked his fingers twice in succession: the two cards soared at bullet speed and struck Laurence in the forehead, one after the other. The matador immediately hunched over, clutching his face in pain.

"Ooooh... I hope the old man dulled the edges on those things." Shen Woo's face twisted.

"Ahaha. It's not the cards, silly. Oswald can simply throw them with such speed and acuteness that they can penetrate a man's skull! AHAHAHAHAHA~" Ash laughed.

"...You got a sick sense of humor, man."

Laurence rose back up, thankfully not bleeding since Oswald was throwing them without lethal intent.

"You're pretty handy with those things." he sneered.

Oswald smirked. "It's a living."

He extended his hand, and nonchalantly wiggled his fingers. Laurence's belief was tested when he saw the straight up magic in front of him: four cards appeared between his digits, faster than light, no tell whatsoever.

"Your trickery won't faze me!" the matador bellowed.

Laurence charged forward, and Oswald let loose the card between his thumb and forefinger. It flew fast and true, but Laurence swooshed his cape and swatted the projectile out of mid-flight.

"Nice try- OOF! OOG! AGHH!"

...But the next three were just a little too fast for him. Two of them struck him in the ribs, right between the bones, where it's most painful. The third one struck his chest, and he was knocked off his feet. He instinctively curled up upon impact, trying to stifle the flaring pain in his body.

"ON YOUR FEET LAURENCE! NOW!" Krauser commanded.

Laurence was in terrible pain... but he feared the wrath of Krauser just a little more. Quickly springing to his feet, he rushed Oswald with everything he had.

The matador swung his cape at Oswald's face, but the older man swayed his head left to dodge it. Laurence came back the other way; another whiff. He went low and tried to catch Oswald's leg, but Oswald raised it just in time for the cape to whoosh past.

Oswald produced a card from his sleeve and slashed the red cape mid-flight, knocking Laurence off balance. With a flick of his wrist, he let the card loose in Laurence's face and sent the matador backwards.

"Gaaaah!" Laurence cursed; he immediately spun around and whipped his cape at Oswald's leg once more. This time, the persistent Laurence was successful; like a fish on a hook, his cape wrapped around his opponent's leg and snagged him tight.

"GOT YOU!" Laurence laughed.

Laurence yanked his cape back and swept Oswald off his feet; like throwing a shot put, he flung Oswald halfway across the arena as his cape unraveled from his opponent's leg.

If Oswald hit the ground, he'd be in a world of hurt... luckily, the older man was quite nimble on his feet. With a smile, he frontflipped through the air and landed gracefully like a cat.

"Whooooah... he can move like that at his age?" Benimaru's eyes widened.

"Someone's been taking their morning pills." Kyo joked.

Laurence was on him immediately with a lunging side kick to the body, stunning Oswald. Taking advantage of the precious second, Laurence whipped his red cape forward and it coiled tight around Oswald's arm.

A struggle ensued in the next seconds, both men standing their ground as Oswald fought against the constricting red cloth and Laurence tried to yank him off-balance.

"You're mine now..." Laurence grinned: a toothy, diabolical, shit-eating grin.

Unfortunately, Laurence was ignorant to the fact that Oswald with one arm is still barely disarmed. The older man threw him for a loop when he merely chuckled and flicked his other hand forward, sending a lightning-fast card between his eyes.

"AAAGHH!" Laurence yelped as he recoiled, releasing his grip on Oswald. The older man laughed as he sent a card into his throat, then back up to the bridge of his nose, then, with a flamboyant spin, he sent a card soaring into his forehead that dropped the matador.

"God damn!" Shen Woo laughed. "I know from experience how painful those f***ing things are. Laurence must be all kinds of stinging right now."

Laurence got back up; at this point, his face was wearing a series of red welts. He was in great pain, but it wasn't debilitating; it was more like an... annoying pain. A pain that motivated him to want to crush his opponent...

"GRRRRAAAAH! Listen to me, old man! I am the loyal servant of Stronheim!" Laurence barked. "You are SO FAR beneath me! You are the mud on my shoes! You are nothing!"

Oswald rolled his eyes and smirked. "That stubborn pride can takes years off your life, you know."

"YOU WILL DIE!"

Laurence's red cape hit the floor, revealing a nasty weapon underneath: his razor-sharp rapier. It would seem Laurence Blood was done playing games.

At last, the smile faded from Oswald's lips... his expression replaced with a more intense one of days' past.

"You dare threaten me...?" Oswald snarled.

Laurence howled as he charged forward and swung the blade menacingly at Oswald's face. Oswald was luckily fast enough to dodge it, as well as the second stroke that came after.

Laurence lunged in for a third strike; Oswald quickly produced a card from his right sleeve and parried the blade, stopping it clean with the top edge.

And with his left hand... Oswald unleashed hell.

The cards flew out, one at a time, each one hitting their mark before the next one followed. Left ribs. Right ribs. Liver. Kidneys. Throat. Esophagus.

Laurence staggered backwards, a puppet with no strings. His blade dropped to the ground as his jello legs struggled to keep him upright. Oswald came forward with two hands, continuing the onslaught: left kneecap, right kneecap, groin, stomach, throat... by the time the cards stopped flying, Laurence was on his knees slumped over.

Oswald produced one more card... but he didn't throw it. Forcefully grabbing Laurence's hair, he jerked his head upwards and held the edge against his jugular.

"Look into my eyes." Oswald commanded.

Laurence defiantly looked away, spitting on the ground.

"LOOK AT ME!" Oswald yanked his hair, making his face come back towards him.

"You think I'm afraid?" Laurence spat. "Do it! My lord's wrath with be twice as painful!"

"One swipe." Oswald hissed. "One swipe... and I could end you."

The air grew tense, the Coliseum dead silent as Oswald stood there with his most dangerous expression to date. His chest visibly heaved as his mouth produced hot breaths, sweat drizzling down his temple. Laurence sat there in silence, eyes closed, ready to meet his fate...

...But that fate never came.

With a relaxed sigh, the smile reappeared on Oswald's mouth as quickly as it had faded. He retracted his card and lifted Laurence back up to his feet.

"Luckily for you, that man is long dead. I've shed myself of these petty frivolities, the pitiful squalor you all live in everyday. My hands are clean."

With a bow, Oswald turned around and walked away, the smile never fading from his lips.

 **WINNER: OSWALD**

"Damn, Oswald is a badass!" Shen Woo laughed. "Ho man, I hate you even more now for that time you tricked us into fighting. I'm thankful to be alive right now!"

"Oh shut up Shen." Ash smirked. "Quit making this about you."

Before Shen could make a comeback, Chizuru abruptly approached him.

"Entry card, please. You're up soon."

With a grin, Shen handed it over and jumped up to his feet. "YAHOO! Finally, time to kick some ASS! I was about to die of boredom sitting here all day!"

Meanwhile, Krauser had approached his fallen servant. Laurence was busy collecting his cape and sword when he was frozen by Krauser's voice.

"Laurence..."

"M-My lord." Laurence immediately spun around and knelt. "Please forgive me. I have dis-OOOOOF!"

A backhand to his face cut his sentence short.

"You have disgraced me, Laurence!" Krauser boomed. "How dare you try to take the life of your opponent in this competition of pure sport!"

Laurence wiped the blood from his lips. "P-p-please... have mercy..."

"You will return home to Castle Stronheim immediately."

"Yes, my lord."

Not foolish enough to stick around any longer, Laurence gathered his things and ran like his life depended on it. It probably DID.

"Heh heh heh! My brother picked the most pathetic henchmen!" Geese laughed.

"Ahhh well, ya can't blame him too much yeah?" Billy snickered, reaching for another cannoli. "I mean, the market's pretty tight nowadays. Ya can't find quality Grade-A henchmen like myself anymore, since we're all taken. Ha ha!"

"Second rate... just what my brother deserves."

"Indeed, boss man."

"Hey, give me one of those cannolis."

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #31: ELISABETH BLANCTORCHE VS MAY LEE**

"Ooooh, Betty's fighting next." Ash's eyes lit up. "This should be interesting~"

Elisabeth was the pillar of confidence, her posture tall and upright, a hand on her hip and the other hand brandishing her primary weapon: her black riding crop. She was truthfully unworried; her opponent was a mere afterthought. Unfortunately, for Elisabeth Blanctorche... her mind was eternally elsewhere, thinking only about what HE could be planning next. She wasn't allowed to rest, or enjoy a friendly competition. Even now, in the festivious environment, her nerves were ever-sharp.

This was her life: the life she chose for herself, because she stupidly loved a kid with all her heart... and that boy hardly existed anymore. It wasn't fair... why did she have to devote herself to him, when he hardly returned the favor? Maybe one day she would wise up and sever ties with...

No. She didn't have the heart to do that.

May Lee, on the other hand, was a much more... simple... person. She was a girl with her head in the clouds, living a fantasy life of superheroes and destroying evil. In many ways, Elisabeth was envious of her; she wished she could live such a carefree existence.

"I live to destroy the darkness!" May Lee boasted, spinning around and striking a heroic pose.

Elisabeth's face was stone. "You think you know about destroying evil? Hah. You've been reading too many comic books."

May Lee grinned. "Manga, actually."

 **FIGHT!**

May Lee came out aggressive; she threw a wide sweep kick that forced Elisabeth to jump with both feet to avoid it. As the kick missed, May Lee spun all the way around then doubled up with an axe kick. Just before her heel crashed into Elisabeth's crown, the Frenchwoman sidestepped.

May Lee came forward with a mighty roundhouse kick... but Elisabeth befuddled her with her next move.

"EH?!"

Just as her foot was to connect, Elisabeth's body vanished into a swarm of silver sparkles. Before the Korean could ascertain her whereabouts, Elisabeth appeared behind her and unleashed her riding crop into the back of her knees. One leg gave out, followed by the other, and the Korean was brought down...

Elisabeth reappeared back in front of her with a flash. She let her weapon fly once more: right across May Lee's cheek.

"Oooweeee... Betty's not playing around~" Ash giggled.

The Korean retaliated with fury, mixing in a series of kicks. High, low, high... she threw fast and hard, but Elisabeth parried each kick with just her weapon-wielding hand. She kept her free hand cocked, ready to unleash...

May Lee tried a spinning kick to her stomach: THAT'S when Elisabeth let her other hand fly forward.

"OUUUGH!" May Lee was blasted backwards, her eyesight nearly stolen by the blinding, dazzling silver light that hit her point-blank. She was unable to land properly, hitting the ground with a THUD.

"This is the real justice." Elisabeth coldly stated, her hand producing a swirling ball of pure energy. "This is the holy light that smites evil. I am the true sword of righteousness... you're just a girl in over her head."

Ash's face twisted at her words. "Ouchie... Betty is in a BAAAAAD mood. Poor girl."

May Lee cursed as she leaped back up. "I'll show you what a hero truly is! HERO MODE!"

The Korean spun around 360, her clothes changing in a flash. Although she looked relatively the same... her wrist-length gloves were now elbow-length. Furthermore, a long red scarf adorned her neck, blowing epically in the breeze. This was her transformation: her transition into an eccentric state in which she declares war on villainy.

"TASTE MY MIGHTY FOOT OF JUSTICE!" May Lee bellowed, descending upon Elisabeth with a flying axe kick. Elisabeth snarled and propelled herself to the side, fueled by her shimmering chi. Where May Lee's foot landed, the ground shook from a spontaneous explosion.

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

The hard leather struck May Lee three more times across the face, the sting flaring up her skin so prominently the pain was paralyzing.

Elisabeth spun around and completed the combo with a thrust of her empty hand: a shotgun burst of silver light blasted the Korean in the stomach, knocking her off her feet. She landed butt-first, falling backwards until she lay flat.

"Elisabeth's playing to win. Still ruthless as ever..." Benimaru shuddered.

"Scared of her, Beni?" Kyo asked, a little grin on his face.

"J-just a little. To be honest, I hated being on her team... if Lon hadn't been there, I wouldn't have survived..."

May Lee sprang up and got a running start. When she closed distance, she slid with her foot extended, intending to take out Elisabeth at the ankles. The Frenchwoman dived out of the way, rolling back to her feet quickly.

May Lee rushed in with a sweep kick, which was dodged, but she spun around and followed through with a side kick, connecting with Elisabeth's chest. She was sent back a few steps, her sizable bosom taking the full force of that kick.

The Korean tried to close in, but Elisabeth backhanded her with the handle of the crop, stunning her. May Lee retaliated swiftly with a punch, but the Frenchwoman swung her crop and swatted Lee's hand downwards.

SMACK!

A swift upwards strike to the nose.

SMACK!

The hard leather found her neck.

SMACK!

Elisabeth flipped her wrist and delivered a backhanded sting to her face. Every time the horrid slapping of skin resonated, the audience shivered unpleasantly.

"Ungh...unghhh..." May Lee groaned as she staggered, clutching her face in pain. She was wearing some serious makeup: a series of red welts where the leather struck her skin. Her face was more reddish-pink than it's standard fair complexion...

"God, Elisabeth is like a tutor from Hell..." Terry shuddered.

With a booming yell of desperation, May Lee soared through the air to take her out with a flying kick... but she never connected. In fact... she never left the air!

The Korean was currently suspended in mid-air, kept afloat by the sparkling light of Elisabeth's magic. The Frenchwoman controlled her, her hand outstretched and glowing with a silver hue.

"This is the end for you." Elisabeth declared. "Now... see the LIGHT!"

Elisabeth clenched into a fist... and a dazzling explosion of light engulfed May Lee with it's awesome energy. She impacted to the ground like a meteor, a blinding afterglow following. It took a while for the effects to wear off, before the crowd could finally see what lie underneath the brilliant glow: an unconscious May Lee.

 **WINNER: ELISABETH BLANCTORCHE**

The Frenchwoman didn't stick around; she immediately departed to the locker rooms, her disposition unchanging.

"She fought well." Duo Lon nodded.

"Indeed..." Ash agreed. "...But would it kill her to smile once in a while? I dunno what her problem is lately."

"You should really talk to her. I think YOU are her problem."

"Wha- me?! But what have I done lately to get her all hot and bothered?"

"Perhaps that little talk we had in your hotel room?"

"Oh cmon... I was only half-serious about that."

"Good luck convincing her. You know, she spends all of her time worrying about-"

...But Duo Lon never finished his sentence. The man seemed distracted in the blink of an eye, as if something had crossed his field of vision and silenced the words in his throat before they could even form.

"...Hello? Monsieur Lon?"

"Quiet."

"D-don't tell me to be qui-"

"He's here..."

"Who?!"

Before Lon could properly explain, Chizuru approached him and requested his entry card. A sinking feeling began to form in the pit of his stomach as he handed it to her and rose up; somehow he knew his opponent would be the man he just laid eyes on.

"Hello? Where are you going, Monsieur Lon? You never told me who that is! HEEEEEEEY!"

 **Only 9 fights left! Stay tuned to see who (or what) got under Duo Lon's skin.**

 **I love writing Oswald as a guru who's achieved enlightenment and shed all Earthly concerns lol. He's REALLY happy he doesn't need those Dragon Pills anymore : )**

 **Let me take this moment to give my sincere thanks to all of you. The support is overwhelming, and I love you all for it. This has been a true pleasure to write so far, and I'm glad that same pleasure is shared by the readers. Thank you.**

 **Next Chapter: I'm just gonna surprise you lol. Round 1 is almost over.**


	12. Chapter 12: Opening Round, pt 8

**Author's Pick: 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35**

 **...A certain someone might beg to differ, though.**

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #32: SHEN WOO VS ATHENA ASAMIYA**

The purple-haired idol was calm and collected; she had done this song and dance so many times, it was natural as breathing. Now, as many times before... Athena was the pillar of strength and hope for the Psycho Soldiers. It wasn't an easy burden to bear, especially for a girl with two professions... but it was her duty. She didn't have the luxury of sitting one out. Bao, Momoko, Kensou, Chin... their powers all paled in comparison to hers. There was nobody else who could inspire and lead the Psycho Soldiers to victory; it was a job tailor-made for her only.

Shen Woo was brimming with confidence as always. Unlike Athena, who was plagued by burdens... Shen was a simple man. He loved the thrill of the fight: to put his fist through somebody's face until his knuckles were sore. It was all he lived for, all he cared about. For the man of such simple pleasures, a cocky smile was always ready on his smug face. Like Oswald, he wasn't one to hold onto stupid grudges and petty annoyances... at the end of the day, who really cares? It's all just unnecessary baggage, to get in the way of his true passion.

The thrill of the brawl... the bastion of an ancient culture ... whose ambition will prevail?

"You're done for, girly." Shen intimidated, rotating his arms a few times to get them nice and loose. "One punch is all it takes. Just one."

Athena smiled. "That's the real trick, isn't it? Hitting me."

Shen laughed. "It's no trick to me, sweetheart. Knocking someone out is easy as tying my shoes!"

"...Or buttoning your shirt?" the idol retorted with a smirk.

Shen took it in good spirit. "Haha! You're quick on the comebacks, Asamiya. Let's rock!"

 **FIGHT!**

The overzealous Shen immediately came forward, throwing a barrage of the wildest haymakers Athena had ever seen. She moved her body well to dodge the extensive punches, literally feeling the air hit her face as they whizzed past. Shen was not bluffing: a hit from one of those, and she would go night-night.

Shen was incredibly sloppy, however; Athena could tell he was putting his entire body into the punches, as his shoddy footwork had him stumbling all over the place with each swing. He was relying on his power, hoping for that one clean hit to put her away...

He came forward with a massive swing, and Athena sidestepped and backhanded him with her right palm. As the first hit connected, she doubled up by coming across his face with her left palm. Finally, she followed through on her arm motion and spun around to kick him in the stomach. Shen took all three hits, but he angrily lunged in and tried to go to her body with an uppercut. Athena slapped his hand downward with her right palm; the left palm found his nose, sending him backwards.

"AGH! God dammit...!" Shen growled, backing away with a hand on his now-sore nose.

The brawler circled around her, his fists raised. Athena kept her eyes focused, palms high, following his movements... ready to intercept whatever he threw.

Shen threw a right jab. She swayed her head. A left jab followed. Head movement saved her once again. A mean hook to the body. Whew, she felt the air on that one...!

As effective as she was dodging, Athena was still sweating; fighting Shen was like playing chicken with a mack truck. The thought of getting hit by him DID terrify the idol a little...

Shen closed in once again, his hands interlaced, bringing both fists down on her head like a sledgehammer... Athena sidestepped and countered with a graceful combo: backhanded right chop, left cross, right palm to the ribs, a thrusting kick to his knee... as Shen backed up from the combo, she finished it off with a leaping kick to his chest. The brawler cursed as he went down, angrily jumping back up a second later.

"ARRRGH! You're like an annoying little flea!" he stomped. "Just hold still for one second so I can clock you!"

Shen literally charged at her with his fist raised, not being the least bit subtle. Athena took a deep breath and put her hands up... she could do this...

He swung at her with a punch so hard, he had to lift his leg just to stay balanced. Athena sidestepped and chopped him in the neck; as he stumbled away, she clocked him in the nose with an arcing elbow as a parting gift.

...But Shen didn't retreat. He turned right back around and came at her, his nose bleeding and him not caring the least.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he swung at her with all his might. Left, right, left, right, uppercut... he didn't care about conserving his energy at all. One of these was bound to hit, if he just kept swinging... kept swinging...!

Athena swayed her head and parried with her hands as much as possible, trying to stay focused. It was almost like a dance, or a live performance: she had to get the moves exactly right. One false step, and the performance would be ruined.

Shen lunged and threw a hook to her body, and Athena had to leap to the side to dodge it. But, she stumbled...!

Shen saw it, and a smile crept on his face.

"Got you now."

"Oh no...!"

With a roar, Shen spun around and put his whole body into a nuclear bomb of a haymaker, directed at her face. Athena cursed at her mistake; she misstepped one time, and just like that... the dance was over. She had gotten it right so many times on stage... why was a fight any different?

Shen's fist came at her like a speeding jet, sure to hit it's mark... but it didn't.

To Athena's surprise, Shen Woo's fist somehow missed her face and he tripped forward to the ground. She could hardly believe it herself: his attack was dead on! She should be snoozing right now!

When Shen got up, he shared the same surprise... only more vocal.

"WHAT? HOW! I had you! I f***ing HAD YOU! GRRRRRR!"

Taking it as a simple ex machina, Athena silently thanked any god she could think of and put her hands back up to prepare for another onslaught. Shen's punches came with a similar aggression, but she could tell he was tired... she was able to make less of an effort now, as his fatigue was affecting his strength and output.

As she parried a few more of his wild punches, Shen went to her body... and once again, his fist magically steered out of the way of her.

"NOOOOOO! GOD...!"

In the stands, Chin Gentsai was beside himself with glee. His huge grin and cacophony of snickers seemed to indicate he knew full well what was going on.

"Brilliant, Athena! Absolutely brilliant! Hee hee hee hee heeeeeeee!"

"M-master Chin... what's going on?" Bao asked.

"Can't you see it? Oh very well, I'll explain it to you. You see, Athena is so in tune with her abilities that her body actually radiates Psycho Power!"

"Wow... radiates?"

"Yes. It's rather weak, but it emanates naturally from her body. Shen Woo is so undisciplined in his strikes, that these very lingering traces of Psycho Power around her... can influence his attacks to miss!"

"Th-that's incredible! Wow! Athena is so wonderful~"

"Yes, yes she is."

The aggravated Shen set up his next punch with a stomping kick to the stomach. Athena blocked his foot and caught him hard with the tip of her elbow as he closed in. Taking advantage of his dazed state, she lunged in and bodied him with a palm to the stomach. As he doubled over... he was wide open.

"PSYCHO SWOOOOOOOORD!"

At the precise moment the unfortunate Shen had lowered his head, Athena sent him back upwards with her uppercut of immense Psycho Power-fueled proportions. Shen got at least two seconds of air before his body hit the ground.

"Tsk tsk tsk... looks like Shen is done for." Ash sighed. "But that Psycho Power! Ohhhhh so sexy! I bet it feels so warm, right in the fingertips~"

Shen Woo got back up, tired, heaving, in pain... but he was more annoyed than anything.

"Huff... huff... gaaaah... this is f***ing embarassing. I can't believe I'm going to lose in Round 1 after that performance Oswald put on! Shit!"

Athena giggled. "Well, at least you've accepted your fate. Care to call it quits now?"

Shen smiled and shook his head. "Naaah... I think I could go down one more time. LET'S DO THIS!"

The hopeless brawler ran at her once again, no plan or strategy in mind. With a sigh, Athena prepared to end this fight with a dose of Psycho Power. Closing her eyes to focus her energy, her body glowed with a shimmering red light... around her, three spheres of concentrated Psycho Power formed and began to orbit.

The first two orbs, she sent crashing into Shen. They exploded upon impact, slowing him down... but he still ran forward.

The third orb, Athena captured in her hand and charged at Shen. Both of them screamed as they put everything into one final attack...

"HAAAAAAAAH!'

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!'

Shen lunged and his fist flew... but it whizzed over her head. Athena presented her palm to his stomach and the third Psycho Ball detonated, blasting him off his feet and sending him flying.

When at last Shen landed, smoke rising from his chest... he passed out with a smile.

 **WINNER: ATHENA ASAMIYA**

"Mmmm... that Psycho Power is neat stuff." Ash cooed. "Oh I want it. I want it so bad."

"...I'm not going to let you hurt that girl."

Ash jumped when he heard the voice of the Frenchwoman behind him. "Jesus, Betty! Don't sneak up on me like that. I just got my life back, I don't want to lose it again."

Elisabeth folded her arms. "So what are you going to do, huh? Pray that you get matched up with her in the next round?"

"Yeah~"

"And then what? You'll run her through like you did Saiki?"

"Ooof... well that just sounds plain nasty, Betty. I don't know what you think I am, but I wouldn't harm Athena like that. No, I think I'll just beat her to a pulp and absorb just enough Psycho Power that it leaves her weak. Hell, I'll even let her keep some of it! Ahahahaha!"

Elisabeth had no vocal response; the painful twisting of her face said everything. The ever-stoic woman had to shut her eyes, just to avoid breaking that facade and letting her sorrow show...

"...You wanna sit with me, Betty?"

Elisabeth walked away without another word.

"...Of course not. Hmph. Well, I tried."

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #33: LI XIANGFEI VS YURI SAKAZAKI**

This was another strange case of two fighters being on the same team, but never actually being in King of Fighters together. It was no mystery that Yuri Sakazaki was one of the founding members of the Women's Team; alongside Mai and King, the three of them represented all that was graceful and attractive in martial arts competition. However, when Takuma stepped down from competition in the following years, Yuri left the team in favor of joining her brother and Robert.

In the years after that, there were several changes to the Women's Team... notably one spunky Chinese waitress who joined a few times. Li didn't see many years in King of Fighters... but she did have a great time.

"Hey Yuri!" Li smiled, waving at the Sakazaki girl whom she was on good terms with.

Yuri paid back the gesture with a bow. "Li. It's so nice to see you! Let's have an awesome fight!"

"Kay~!"

 **FIGHT!**

They stayed in the pocket and traded well; Li threw a sweep kick which missed, but brought that same leg up and went to the body instead. Yuri swatted the leg downward with her wrist and countered with a palm to the body, but Li parried it and spun around with an elbow to her chest. As Yuri recoiled, Li went high with a head kick and Sakazaki had to bring her arms up quickly to bounce it off.

Li pressed forward with a tornado kick, putting her whole body into the uber attack. Yuri ducked it and caught her with a fist to the stomach and a following uppercut. Li was only stunned for the slightest of seconds, as she quickly came back with a double fist to Yuri's stomach. Yuri took the full force, her feet skidding backwards a few inches.

Li went low with a sweep kick, and Yuri backpedaled to dodge it; Li doubled up with ANOTHER sweep kick, before transitioning into a flying cartwheel kick that caught Yuri just on the top of the head and sent the Sakazaki down to one knee. As the Chinese girl tried to press forward, Yuri surprised her with a rising uppercut that sent her sky high.

"I'm not done. NUMBER TWO!" Yuri declared as she leaped up and hit her with a second uppercut, sending her even higher into the air.

Yuri landed gracefully on her feet... and Li hit the ground.

"Nice hit!" the Chinese girl complimented as she sprang up and came forward with a lunging fist. Yuri parried with her wrist, but a second fist came and struck her in the face.

"Ngh!" Yuri winced as she stumbled backwards. Before she could recover, Li's kick found her body and sent her down to one knee. She rose up... but Li spun around with a leaping kick to her face that sent her down the rest of the way.

"My turn!" Yuri smiled, wiping blood as she came forward. Li threw a high kick, but Yuri parried it and kicked her in the stomach. Li retaliated with her OWN kick, hitting Yuri in the same spot. Yuri hissed and fired back with a straight right, but Li caught her wrist and thrust a palm into her ribs. Taking advantage of the close range, Yuri fired back with a knee to Li's stomach, causing the Chinese girl to break the grasp and stagger backwards.

"HYAAAAAAH!" Yuri leaped forward, fist drew back, and let loose a picture-perfect left hook to Li's cheek, knocking her down clean.

"Those girls are showing some amazing spirit." Terry complimented. "Neither one of them are backing down, despite taking so many hits."

"That's the Women's Team for you." Mai smiled. "Strong and beautiful. We don't back down, and we look good doing it."

Li got up on shaky legs... but she remained aggressive. She leaped high into the air and tried to come down on Yuri with a spinning kick... but Yuri leaped up and met her in the sky with a counter-throw.

Locking her legs around Li's waist, Yuri did a 270 in the air so that she was on top and Li's body was aimed towards Earth. They descended... and Yuri slammed her hard into the ground.

"Hnnnnngh...!" Li gave a choked gasp as the wind was knocked out of her. Yuri was unharmed, her impact cushioned from being on top of Li. She rolled to her feet without a scratch, while Li slowly had to crawl back up.

"I don't think she's okay after that one." Robert stated. "My babe just got her good."

It was true; after that brutal mid-air interception, Li's momentum had been sapped from her body. She tried to hide it, but it was undeniable... one could see just from her shaky legs, her panting breaths, her dazed eyes... she was in bad shape.

"HAAAAAAH!" she charged forward and continued the fight, throwing an upper palm and following up with one to the body. Yuri's forearms blocked the shots well, and she fired back with a backwards forearm to the face. As Li staggered, Yuri lunged forward and let her have it.

"HAOH KEN!" her pretty pink fireball soared true and blasted Li off her feet.

"Huff... huff... unghh..." Li groaned as she got up and weakly trudged forward. She still had her hands up, indicating she wanted to continue.

"I don't wanna hurt you Li." Yuri stated. "But as long as you're standing, I'll keep going!"

"That's all I could ask for, Yuri! HYAAAAH!"

Yuri closed in and fired a straight right, but Li parried and rolled with the punch, spinning around with a backhand to the face. Yuri was stunned for a slight second, giving Li time to throw a fist to her ribs and fire a knee upwards to her forehead. That one dazed Yuri a bit, so when Li closed in on her, she quickly snatched her by the shirt and threw her overhead to create distance.

Because of her forward momentum, Li left the ground a lot easier and went flying over Yuri, but she somersaulted through the air and stuck the landing, quickly sprinting after Yuri to once again home in on her.

Yuri took a 1-2 palm to the face, but countered with a backhand and a right hook behind it, backing Li up. Li came forward with a right front kick, doubling up with a left when the former was parried. Yuri blocked them well, and, out of the blue... she sealed the deal with a surprise attack.

"SAIHAAAAAA!"

Li never saw it coming... and how could she? Yuri had masked it well, giving no indication she was launching a special move. Thrusting two hands forward, a crescent-shaped barrier of point-blank chi blasted Li in the face, sending her flying to the ground with an uncomfortable impact. This move of Yuri's, normally designed to counter projectiles, could also be used for crowd control in close-up situations. The astute Yuri was wise enough to take advantage of this, and fry Li up close and personal.

 **WINNER: YURI SAKAZAKI**

"Yuri utilized the full extent of her moves." Robert smiled. "She realized her Saiha could be used in more ways than just stopping a fireball. I'm so proud of her."

She wanted to run and tackle Robert right then... but she wanted to tend to her friend first. Quickly running over to Li, she took her by the hand and held on tight.

"You okay, Li? Can I help you up?"

Li coughed a few times before managing a smile. "It's okay, Yuri. Just let the paramedics come take me. You did so well! You are truly the shining beacon of the Women's Team."

Yuri leaned down and hugged her. "Thank you, Li. Take a nice rest now, okay?"

With that business taken care of... there was only one thing left to do.

"RRRRROOOOOBIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Garcia was already standing out there, arms extended, as she came flying at him and landed in his embrace. Her lips commenced an onslaught against his, giving the man not a second to breathe.

"MMPH! MMPH MMPH MMPH MMMPH! I DID IT ROBBIE-MMPH! Are you-MMPH proud of me?"

"Of course I am, Yuri." Robert whispered in her ear before planting a kiss on her neck. "You did incredible out there. I'm sure Ryo and Sensei Takuma are celebrating in their hospital room."

As Robert put Yuri down, Mai was out there seconds later to scoop her up from behind.

"Nice fight, girl! WOOOO!" Mai squealed. "I can't wait to go see King's face! We all made it~!"

Yuri giggled, giving a little wink. "Women's Team never die~"

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #34: KASUMI TODOH VS BIG BEAR (RAIDEN)**

"This is absurd." Benimaru exclaimed, eyes wide. "This is like... King Kong vs the woman King Kong kidnapped!"

"Don't underestimate Todoh." Kyo advised. "Her fighting style is made for bringing down bigger, aggressive men."

In the combat zone, the veteran of Geese's old King of Fighters was already plodding forward, arms extended, preparing to grab Kasumi and slam her.

"Cmere, girl! I promise I'll pin you nice and quick!"

Kasumi's face was cool as ice, as she got into stance. "You won't get the chance, big guy!"

 **FIGHT!**

Big Bear came forward with an openhanded slap; Kasumi caught his wrist and locked her hands tight around it, jerking him downward. With her expert wrist control, Kasumi could maneuver the big man however she saw fit, despite his much greater weight.

"Agh! Let go! LET GO!"

"My pleasure."

Kasumi yanked Bear towards her and sidestepped, extending her foot to trip him. Bear went airborne, as the crowd witnessed the marvel of a small girl flip a humongous guy over her head and slam him onto the ground. His body impacting caused a huge tremor of almost earthquake proportions.

"...Whoa. I stand corrected." Benimaru revised.

With a sharp kiai, Kasumi raised her arm and brought a vertical elbow smashing down into the big man's chest. Her impact was so great, it sent ripples through his body that made his fat belly quiver. A dust cloud kicked up from under him; just another testament to Kasumi's deceptive power.

The blue-haired girl retreated to a safe distance, allowing the coughing Bear to get up so she could down him again. The wrestler was in bad shape, clutching his chest in pain and heaving with burning breaths.

"Cough cough cough... ugh... this was a lot easier back then..."

"I am the new age of martial arts, pops." Kasumi taunted. "You're just an old has-been."

That angered Bear a bit. "Grrrr... that's it! I'm about to turn heel on you, little girl!"

Bear came at her, fists closed this time. He swung at her with an uber haymaker, but Kasumi once again caught him at the wrist.

"Hngh?!"

Holding down his wrist with her right hand. Kasumi drew back her left arm and drove the point of her elbow deep into his gut. His body fat quivered once again, ripples coursing through him from the insane impact. The big man actually flew backwards, off his feet, hitting the ground with another massive tremor.

"God DAMN! The little lady is making King Kong look like a punk bitch!" Benimaru howled.

"This guy was supposedly one of Geese's top men back in the day." Shingo analyzed. "It would seem time hasn't been too good to him."

Bear coughed and sputtered as he rolled over, crawling to his hands and knees.

"Cough cough... gah... uhk... wh-why am I losing... is it because... I've forgotten who I am...? That's it... it's time for me to return to my former glory. RAIDEN IS BACK, BITCHES!"

The bearded man leaped to his feet and reached into his trunks, pulling out his trusty mask. Donning it without a second wasted, he flexed his muscles and flashed a malevolent smile.

Kasumi rolled her eyes. "A mask? How is a mask going to affect your skills whatsoever?"

"Come at me and find out!" Raiden beckoned.

"Sigh... very well then."

Kasumi charged forward, and Raiden met her with a clothesline. She ducked under it, and tried to attack Raiden from behind. The wrestler spun around with a boot to her stomach; although Kasumi blocked it, his huge foot sent her backwards.

Raiden pressed the action with an overhead forearm; Kasumi caught his arm, twisted her hips, and yanked him forward, sending the big man stumbling until he fell facefirst. Kasumi had a vice grip on his arm, bending it behind his back.

"How's this for a three-count, old man?!" Kasumi growled, cranking on his arm with all of her might.

Raiden was in immense pain, but muscling his way to his feet was no problem for the big man. As he got back to his feet and spun around to relieve the pressure on his arm... he had a little surprise for Kasumi.

"AHHHHHH! MY EEEEEEYES!"

The crowd booed upon witnessing the atrocity in front of them; Kasumi was reeling back, her eyes stained from the yellow mist Raiden spit into them.

"You f***ing COWARD!" Iori boomed. "I should rip out your blubber for that, fat man!"

"What a bitch move." K' cursed.

"What the shit... I'm gonna go down there and kick his ass myself!" Shingo angrily bellowed.

Raiden just cackled at their boos. They were nothing but music to his ears: a sweet harmony of acknowledgement. To a wrestler who was a heel, being booed was the greatest pleasure. It was like his payment, his reward for being the best at what he did. The more they hated him, the better he felt about himself. And right now... he felt decades younger.

"HA HA HAAAAAA! Where's that confidence now, little girl?!"

Kasumi couldn't see a thing. Her tear ducts were involuntarily leaking, attempting to flush out the foreign substance... but still, it stung her to her very core. Her eyeballs were blood red, agitated, flaring up from the sting of the horrid mist. How could she win at this point?

...Kendo. Remember her Kendo lessons... time after time, practicing with a blindfold to sharpen her other senses. Many times she had dueled with her father... while she had lost more than half of them, there were still enough victories to speak volumes of her skill. Right now, in this dire moment, could she...?

Removing her headband, she tied it around her eyes and took a swordsman stance. Her hands were up, as if she was holding a katana, although there was none.

Take a deep breath... and listen with her other senses...

"GROOOOOOOOOOAGH!"

She could feel him coming. She could hear his plodding footsteps, smell his horrid BO, feel the ground quake from his ginormous feet. He was in front of her... wide open.

Lunging deep, Kasumi brought her hands downward with an overhead swing, as if beheading an honorable lord who committed seppuku. Although there was no weapon in her hands, she perfectly replicated the motions, not a single movement wasted. One clean, perfect stroke... like a samurai poised to kill.

Her blue chi manifested, keen and precise, following her stroke and tearing through Raiden with one fell swoop.

"UAAAAGH...!" she could hear his cry of anguish... and she knew she had gotten him.

Raiden fell flat on the ground with a huge thud. He wasn't dead, fatally wounded, or even bleeding... but Kasumi's perfect sword stroke had obliterated his wrestling costume and left him in only his boxers, which, ironically... were the exact opposite of the persona he was trying to achieve.

 **WINNER: KASUMI TODOH**

"She cut him down. Talk about justice!" Shingo smiled.

"I'm glad she didn't lose to that obese punk!" Benimaru agreed.

"G-guys, take it easy on Bear. H-he can be a nice guy..." Terry nervously tried to calm everyone down.

Knowing she achieved victory, Kasumi spun around and thrust her finger in a random direction. She was hoping for a camera, but really she was just pointing at a wall.

"SAKAZAKI! HEAR ME! I HOPE YOU'RE WATCHING, BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA SUFFER THE SAME FATE! I WON'T HOLD BACK ON YOU!"

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #35: DUO LON VS LIN**

With the exception of Shen Woo (hospital), Ash and the gang had gathered around to cheer their friend in combat. Regardless of how she felt towards him at the moment, Elisabeth brushed it aside to go join Ash and Oswald in support of Duo Lon in his moment of truth. Benimaru was also rooting for Lon, but he preferred to sit with his Japanese friends.

"Monsieur Lon, at last." Ash smiled. "I do love watching him fight. He fights with such grace, sophistication... very aesthetically pleasing."

"And he can kill you with two fingers." Oswald casually added.

Duo Lon stood stoically in the combat zone, hands behind his back, face ever-frozen. He shot the slightest glace up at the stands, to see all his friends gathered; too bad that didn't appease his anxiety at the moment.

He had been on edge since he got here, but now he had a good reason to: the man who was to be his opponent was one he shared a long history with. This man was a mentor to him, teaching him the Hizoku assassination arts even at Lon's tender age. They hadn't spoken since the great falling out: the most disastrous period in their clan's history. Last he heard, Lin was also off looking for Ron... but who really knew the truth in the present?

Now was his chance to clear the air, as Lin himself approached the combat zone. Still clad in yellow pants, a black top, a black mask obscuring the bottom half of his face, his long, lethal Chinese braid swaying behind him... his master looked like he hadn't aged a day.

"It's been a while, son of Ron." Lin greeted with a bow.

"With all due respect... don't say his name." Duo Lon bowed in return. "How have you been, my old master?"

"The same. Many sleepless nights." Lin coldly replied.

Duo Lon furrowed his brows. "Tell me, master... what brings you to this competition?"

"...I came for you."

"Me?"

Lin extended his fingers. "I wanted to see how you've progressed."

Duo got into stance. "My skills are sharper than they've ever been, my old master."

"Really?! Because I think you've gotten soft!" Lin spat.

"M-master..."

"I AM NOT YOUR MASTER!" Lin shouted. "There is nothing between me and you. You, who have abandoned our noble mission!"

Duo snarled. "What are you talking about?"

"You care more about that boy than you do avenging the Hizoku's honor!"

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Duo spat. "And you're one to talk... I've heard disturbing rumors that you've betrayed the Hizoku and now stand at his side!"

Duo had rarely seen Lin's composure break... but those words seemed to trigger him big time. His eyes widened, his face twisting... as if that was the greatest insult anyone had ever bestowed upon him.

"...If you ever say those words to me again... I'll kill you."

Duo scoffed. "You will never kill me, Lin. My skills are far beyond yours, my brothers and sisters, and even HIM."

"Let's put your brazen words to the test then, shall we?!"

 **FIGHT!**

The two assassins approached each other, cautious to move first. They each had a unique style of striking; instead of a closed fist, they preferred their fingers outstretched, to spear an opponent in their vital areas. To a normal man, this would break their fingers... but the Hizoku had trained to use this style.

Lin charged in, thrusting his left hand repeatedly to gouge Duo's eyes, but the younger man swayed his head side to side to avoid the stabbing strikes. Duo backed Lin up with a palm to the ribs, which the elder leaped back to escape from.

Duo came forward with a high kick, but Lin parried it and Duo mixed things up with a sweep kick after. Lin lifted his foot to dodge it, and Duo spun all the way around and transitioned into a tornado kick, which Lin swayed his head back to dodge. Duo spun with the strike once again, coming around with a double palm strike that went high... but Lin caught both of his wrists.

Lin flung Duo's arms upwards, exposing his midsection; the elder thrust his hand in an attempt to damage his liver, but Duo sucked in his stomach and backpedaled to avoid the thrusting fingers. Lin came around with a spinning chop to the face, but Duo blocked his hand and countered with a high palm. Lin slapped his hand away.

The assassins' trades were fast and fluid; like a graceful dance they used their footwork to move across the combat zone, their hands in constant motion to parry and deflect the shots of the other. Neither one could land a clean hit.

"These two are making me dizzy." Shingo stated. "Leave it to the Chinese to make a fight look like a tango."

Lin came forward with a double tornado kick, transitioning smoothly to a double palm to the stomach. Duo lifted his leg to check the palm strike, making Lin's hands bounce off of his knee. As the elder recoiled... Duo landed the first hit. He led with his wrist, smacking Lin in the throat and stunning his former master solid. As Lin's head slightly tilted downwards... Duo uppercut him with a nasty palm that sent him in the air.

...But the former teacher was skilled enough to stick the landing, as he backflipped gracefully and touched down on two feet.

"Touche." Lin declared.

The former master charged forward with a backhanded chop, but Duo ducked and his hand swung in a wide horizontal arc. Duo took advantage of the huge whiff and tried to spear him in the stomach... but Lin caught his hand moments before it touched his flesh.

Twisting the arm painfully to hold Duo in place, Lin thrust his free hand at Duo's face. The young man tilted his head back moments before the fingers could touch him... but he was wide open everywhere else.

Lin punished him with a brutal kick to the stomach. As Duo doubled over in pain, a rising knee met his forehead at the opportune moment and sent the younger assassin backwards on wobbly legs. His forehead had a cut on it, drizzling blood between his eyes...

"Monsieur Lon! He's hurt..." Ash gasped.

Lin charged forward, preparing to seal the deal... but Duo had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Just as Lin swung, Duo disappeared in a shadowy blur and phase-shifted behind him. Before Lin had a chance to turn around, a hard chop to the back of his neck made him stumble forward until he landed facefirst.

"Alright, Duo! The guy is always on top of things. Cool and collected always." Benimaru smiled.

The two met back in the middle. Duo tried to take him out with a leaping, spinning kick to the face, but Lin ducked and the foot whooshed over him. But Duo spun around with the motion and followed up with a kick to the stomach that sent Lin a few feet back.

Lin landed on one knee... but this was exactly what he wanted. Being so low to the ground, he was able to sneak his hand through the Earth and unleash one of his trickiest attacks.

"OUUUUUUF...!"

Duo could feel the air sap from his lungs; he looked down, and Lin's hand had sprouted from the ground like a violent plant, shooting upwards to spear him in the stomach. This was an ancient, deadly technique of the Hizoku: the ability to send one's limbs into the ground and pop up wherever their opponent stood.

"Holy shit. Have you ever seen someone's arm do that?!" Andy questioned his brother.

"No, and I don't wanna meet the man who says he has." Terry shook his head.

Duo was slow to get up, clutching his stomach in pain... but he didn't have time to recover, as Lin was on him quickly.

Lin attacked with a double front kick, throwing his left leg upwards, then pushing off with the right foot to send that one upwards in succession. Duo blocked the shots well and countered with a short kick to the stomach, which hit Lin and left his face open to a backhanded wrist strike.

A sharp palm to the chest followed, stunning Lin hard... and Duo completed the combo by leaping into the air. His body moved at unnatural speed, almost a blur to the audience watching. His foot found Lin's face, blasting his former master off his feet with a flying kick of impeccable speed and precision.

As Duo landed on his feet, Lin hit the ground before him.

"Now do you doubt me?"

Lin panted a few times as his brain slowly stopped spinning, finally getting back to his feet. "Hmph... don't underestimate me, boy!"

Lin came forward and spun around with a new attack: whipping his long Chinese braid forward and slapping Duo in the face with it.

"Hnnf...!" Duo was momentarily stunned, but quickly regained himself.

Lin pumped out two quick jabs. Duo blocked high and mid, then had to quickly seize Lin's right wrist as he thrust his fingers forward and tried to spear his throat. Duo backed him up with a clean kick to the stomach, then tried to whip his foot high towards the chin. But Lin backflipped several times to create distance, and once again tried to strike Duo at range with his Sting of the Asp.

Duo leaped high just as the hand sprouted underneath him, backflipping through the air and landing gracefully. But Lin didn't stop there; repeatedly he thrust his hand downwards, in an attempt to throw Duo off his feet and expose him.

But Duo was too fast; he phase-shifted forward each time, just as the hand was about to reach him, until finally Lin was forced to retract his arm and switch to defense.

Duo smashed into his face with a high roundhouse, breaking through Lin's forearms and making his master stumble. He went low with the next kick, crashing into Lin's right knee and making his leg bend painfully.

"Agh...!"

"How about a taste of your own medicine...?"

Duo smiled maliciously as he whipped his own hair forward; it coiled around Lin's neck, seizing his throat tight.

"Aghhhk...!"

Duo could have choked him out right there... but he had other plans. He instead slung his head back, lifting Lin high into the air and throwing him upwards.

Lin's body fell towards the ground... but he wouldn't hit the Earth yet. No, there was a very unpleasant surprise to cushion his landing.

At the apex of Lin's falling body approaching, Duo thrust his foot into the Earth, like a seeping shadow. From the ground, right where Lin's body was predicted to land... Duo's foot sprouted and soared upwards to ram into his stomach.

"URRRRRRRGHhhhhhhhhh...!"

Lin's pained grunt started out loud, then faded into a squeaky whimper. It was the cleanest, most damaging, critical hit of the entire fight. His ribs were missed, but his insides were shaken up so bad that he vomited in his mask. His intestines felt like they were kicked up into his throat...

Finally, granting Lin the mercy of being allowed to curl up in a fetal position, Duo retracted his foot and allowed Lin to fall to the ground the rest of the way.

"You fought well, my master... but I've come very far in my life. I'm not the youth you once knew: the inexperienced whelp you slapped around effortlessly."

Lin pulled down his mask as he expelled the contents of his stomach that had shot upwards. He coughed and spat and sputtered, which was to be expected...

...But what was NOT expected, was him getting back up.

"This fight isn't over, young one. You forget one of the golden rules of Hizoku... fight as though you mean to kill, or victory will be lost to you."

"Master... stay down. Pleas-AGHHHK!"

Duo's mercy only harmed him, as Lin leaped at him, clutched his garb, and spat a volatile green mist into his face. Duo's first instinct was to suck in air... a mistake that allowed the venom entry into his eyes, nostrils, and mouth.

"You just granted me victory, boy." Lin chuckled. "Next time, don't show mercy on your enemies."

"Agh! Cough cough... you... GAAAAHK... AHK... you would use your... poison... on ME?! COUGH COUGH!" Duo hacked and choked.

"Ha ha ha... why should I give you any special treatment?"

"Y-You... you mean... to... kill... me?!"

"Apparently you haven't been studying enough, my lad. The Hizoku Venom is non-lethal... it merely incapacitates the target so they're allowed to witness their death personally, knowing that they are helpless to prevent it."

Duo coughed a few more times, struggling to stay on his feet... but he had enough strength to scowl defiantly at Lin.

"You won't be able to stand much longer, my boy. Your muscles will start to betray you, as your nervous system shuts down second by second. In just a moment, your body will be a useless shell. But don't worry... I'm not going to kill you. This is only a message to you: a reality check, to open your eyes back to your true duty. The poison WILL wear off, and you will walk out of here feeling the pain of humiliation and disgrace in front of your peers. Then, maybe you'll quit fooling around and fulfill your clan's honor."

Duo felt it creeping up on him, permeating his bloodstream. His knees wobbled, his shoulders struggling to keep his arms up. The left arm drooped... the right followed after. Even his jaw started to loosen, as keeping his mouth closed began to feel strenuous. His eyes got hazy, his posture loosening as he slumped over...

...But in the midst of his body ceasing to function, his cheeks managed to lift up a smile.

"Master... you've been away far too long. I've learned a thing or two. I'm capable of far more than you can imagine."

Lin's eyebrow raised. "What?"

Duo chuckled as he used the remainder of his strength to lift himself back up and look into his master's eyes with a smug smile.

"Observe."

Duo strained to lift his arm outwards... but it would be worth it just to see the look on their faces.

"What are YOU...?!"

Lin's words got caught in his throat when he saw it. It started off so slow; Duo's clothing disintegrating, trailing across him like a flame following a fuse. But the simple de-robing suddenly turned macabre, as the audience let out a howl of terror and shock when they saw Duo Lon's body before them.

His flesh quivered, bubbling all over like a nasty soup... before it melted from his bones.

"MONSIEUR LON!" Ash cried.

"I-I've never seen him do this..?!" Elisabeth gasped.

The last thing Lin's awestruck eyes saw of Duo was the smirk on his face... before it dissolved in front of him.

When at last the horrific process ended, Duo Lon was naught but a skeleton in front of them, only remaining solid for a few seconds before those bones crumbled to a pile of dust.

"D-D-Duo...!" Benimaru stammered.

"Monsieur L-Lon...?!" Ash's words could barely come out.

"Is he...?!" Elisabeth questioned.

...But only Lin knew the truth, because he had seen this same technique before... by only one other man.

The remains of Duo Lon floated upwards: his pile of discarded skin tissue, bone dust, the pieces of clothing... it all began to swirl around in a rapid vortex, joining together and becoming one, as if to form a singular entity... a half minute passed as the whirlwind grew stronger and stronger, the bodily components melding together, re-constructing a new human shape...

And seconds later... Duo Lon stood before them once again.

"HOW do you know that technique?!" Lin bellowed. "Only Ron...!"

"I told you my powers are far beyond even his now." Duo replied coolly. "It was your folly to believe I've been away all this time just twiddling my thumbs."

"You... you truly are the most gifted...!"

Duo phase-shifted forward and thrust his fingers into Lin's neck, striking a vital pressure point. With one fluid motion, he retracted his arm... and Lin's muscles switched off like a lamp. He fell to his knees, before plopping facefirst in the dirt.

 **WINNER: DUO LON**

"W-well now... I learned something new about Monsieur Lon today." Ash exclaimed, eyes wide. "He would be great at Halloween parties."

Elisabeth stood up, stretching a few times. "It was a good victory. I'm proud of him."

And just like that, the truce was broken; the Frenchwoman walked away from Ash, leaving him and Oswald by themselves once more.

"Aaaand she's gone. Hmph."

Duo Lon leaned down, rolling Lin over so he could look at him.

"Master, are you hurt?"

Lin coughed a few times. "Don't worry about me. You are the future of Hizoku. One day, you'll lead our clan to greatness again... and people like Ron and myself will fade to irrelevance where we belong."

Duo shook his head. "Master, don't say that. I will always respect you greatly. Even when I'm leader of the Hizoku, I won't forget all you've done for me."

Lin managed a small smile. "Then carry on, boy. From here on out, you have my full trust."

 **IN THE STANDS...**

In the stands, the fighters and the crowd were getting antsy. 35 fights, they had sat through... only five remained on this day. There was a tiny intermission, as Chizuru approached the remaining ten fighters and gave them their notices.

"Alright, Shingo! Go kick some ass, my friend!" Benimaru smiled, slapping the eager youth on the back.

"Alright! I won't let you guys down." Shingo flashed a thumbs up.

"I'm going too." Goro Daimon declared. "My moment has come at last!"

"Race you back there, big guy!"

Meanwhile, Ai had a surprise visitor as she went towards the locker room.

"Am I too late?"

"YUKI!" Ai squealed as she dived into her partner's arms and kissed him. "I thought you were at the hospital!"

"I checked out." Yuki grinned. "I wasn't gonna miss watching you fight. Go kill em, partner."

"Roger that~!"

The Ikari Warriors saluted one of their own, as he got up and straightened his sunglasses.

"Clark, you're the only one left brother." Ralf smiled, putting an arm around him. "Whip may have screwed up, but you can still get us one more W!"

Clark had no response, only a smug smile as he straightened his hat and walked off.

Meanwhile, a lone figure had gone unnoticed by the others as he made his way to the locker room... his black cloak still securely fastened on his large frame...

 **Only 5 fights remain. Round 1 was truly some rough stuff; I had to do 40 fights and keep you entertained. But don't worry, things will go a lot quicker and smoother from here on. With all the dead weight cut, I can focus on more interesting matchups that'll put you on the edge of your seat : )**

 **Next Chapter: There's only 5 fights left lol. You should know who's fighting by now, using your brilliant powers of deduction.**

 **Oh, and the identity of the black-cloaked man is revealed. You know... the one who mugged Heavy D? Did you forget all about him? Huh? Did you? : D**


	13. Chapter 13: Opening Round, pt 9

**For the record... I hate Shingo. He's my least favorite character. When I'm studying the characters' fighting styles, he's my practice dummy.**

 **Author's Pick: #36... but I feel this wasn't my best work. I'm feeling the fatigue of doing 40 fights lol.**

 **I will give cookie to whoever can post in their review the name of the game a certain someone in this chapter is from. I don't care if you Google it, I just want to hear the name of the game. I want you to acknowledge the game's existence, even though it sucks ass lol.**

 **Round 1 is wrapping up. Enjoy.**

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #36: SHINGO YABUKI VS JO KUSANAGI**

Shingo was overcome, the vessels in his body nearly bursting from the unimaginable stimulation as he saw the name on the big tv. What luck... to actually get to face HIM...!

"YES! I DID IT! YAHOOOOOO! I GET TO FACE KYO KUSANAGI IN THE FIRST ROUND!" Shingo exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

"...Uhhhhhhhhhhh no. I'm not Kyo." an unfamiliar voice fired back.

Shingo finally shook off the hysteria and actually looked to see who was in front of him. The man whom he wished was his inspiration... was actually a total stranger. He was a smug looking guy, brown hair slicked up like he had some serious hair gel up there. Only a few loose strands hung out of place. And his uniform... good god that orange was LOUD. The only thing to offset that eyesore was a plain white t-shirt underneath.

"...Who are you?!" Shingo angrily demanded, the realization that he wasn't fighting Kyo finally kicking in.

"I am JO Kusanagi. Not KYO." the punk sneered. "And I'll accept your apology for not knowing who I am."

"Um, excuse me!" Shingo spat. "Am I supposed to know you? And why you have his last name? Are you a long lost member of the Kusanagi clan?"

"Wha-NO! I AM JO KUSANAGI, THE RED PANTHER! STRONGEST FIGHTER IN ALL OF KANTO!" the orange-wearing boy angrily stomped.

Shingo scratched his head. "Uhhhhh... right... just one region?"

"Yeah."

"You're not even the strongest in all of Japan?"

"No."

"Ha! That's kinda weak, bro."

"Well are YOU the strongest in Japan? Or anywhere for that matter?" Jo retorted.

That shut Shingo up a bit. "Ah, well, you see... I will be someday. I'm training harder and harder every day. One day I WILL surpass Kusanagi... just you wait."

"You want to surpass me?"

"NO! The other Kusanagi! The one who matters!"

"Oh that's it, asshole. I'm about to pummel you!"

 **FIGHT!**

They circled each other for only a few seconds... before the fists went flying. Shingo lunged in with a left hook that sent Jo's head sideways, but the brawler came back with a retaliating blow to Shingo's stomach, which backed him up.

But he didn't back up for long... a second later, he and Jo came forward at the same time and fists went BLAZING. No restraint, no discipline whatsoever, these two fiery youths slung their hands back and forth, catching each other clean in the face and neither one caring. They swung and swung and swung, neither one backing out of the pocket. Their feet were firmly planted, only moving for the slightest seconds in reaction to the PUNISHING blows both were taking.

"Holy mother of god! STOP THE MADNESS!" Benimaru squealed.

"Get out of there kid! Jeez, are you stupid?!" Iori chastised.

Shingo took a hard one to the face. His vision was a blur; he could see an orange blotch in front of him, and he kept swinging at it. He was already tired, sweat pouring from his temple... but his arms didn't stop flailing. He threw every last ounce of energy from his being at that orange and brown figure.

Finally... with one last bodacious POW... both fighters lunged in and decked each other clean in the face, dropping the two of them to the ground.

"Jesus, Shingo!" Kyo cried. "Don't throw all of your technique out of the window, you idiot!"

"Is the fight over?" Benimaru asked.

"I hope not. There'd be no winner. Give it a second..."

Both Shingo and Jo were still laid out, but both still showing signs of consciousness. Their heads were moving, chests heaving, limbs groggily moving to try and will their bodies back up. That initial exchange took almost everything out of them...

"Cmon, get up! Stupid kid..." Iori silently muttered. Though Iori wasn't one to care about the well-being of others... he had the slightest of concern for the boisterous youth who had once been on his team. Maybe he felt guilty for that time he hurt him. Or maybe he was jealous of Shingo's incredible stamina.

Chizuru was a little worried she'd have to step in... but breathed a sigh of relief when they finally willed themselves back up. They both stumbled forward, albeit on the shakiest of legs...

Shingo was wearing almost a new face. One eye swollen, nose bright red, lip split open and trickling blood down his chin... the gloves Kyo gave him stained with Jo's blood. But in the midst of all this... he only smiled. He smiled, because this is where he wanted to be. This was the highest level of competition in the world, and he was standing toe-to-toe with a warrior worthy of this grand stage.

"Shingo is foolish as ever... but dude's got heart." K' stated, showing the slightest of acknowledgement for his former teammate's tenacity.

Jo wiped a trickle of blood from his lip and grinned. "Let's try this again, shall we?'

Shingo flashed his whites. "After you, pal!"

This time the fight went slower-paced, both because of their recklessness cooling off and their fatigue. Jo charged forward and thrust a front kick towards Shingo's body, but Shingo turned and allowed the foot to crash into his shoulder. As Jo brought his foot back down, Shingo took advantage and rushed forward with a flurry to his stomach, connecting deep and forcing Jo to throw himself against Shingo to stop the man's onslaught.

But Shingo had a plan for that one too. Snatching Jo by the shirt, Shingo flung his head upwards and bashed Jo in the nose, opening up a huge river of red. He then let go of the man's clothes, causing Jo to immediately stumble backwards.

Shingo came flying at him with a leaping elbow smash, busting him right in the bridge of his nose and sending Jo down to one knee. The brawler from Kanto countered with a body hook, crashing into Shingo's liver and making him freeze up as if he was tased. Finally, Shingo started to collapse... and Jo met his falling body with a vicious knee to the chest.

"Both guys are getting their licks in." Benimaru stated. "You think Shingo can pull this off?"

"Even if he does, it's gonna be hard to come back from this fight." Kyo sighed. "He made a rookie mistake: blowing his wad in the first round. I'll be surprised if he's medically fit to compete in Round 2..."

Both fighters jumped up to their feet. Jo came forward with a clean right, sending Shingo down in the dirt. Shingo leaped back up and uppercut Jo, sending the brawler off his feet and forced to cushion his impact with his forearms. As Jo attempted to get back up, Shingo met his head just at the perfect moment with a shin to punish him on wakeup. The resulting kick split Jo's eyebrow wide open, producing a strong trickle of blood that blinded his left eye.

Jo fired to the stomach. Shingo took it and countered with an uppercut. Jo rubber-banded back forward and kneed him in the ribs. Shingo forcefully grabbed him and flung him aside, creating distance between the two.

"Good god, this is the most brutal one yet." Seth winced. "I knew that kid is full of spunk, but I didn't think he was capable of this!"

Shingo panted hard, muscles screaming in agony. He had almost nothing left... this guy had to go down soon. The reality that he spent way too much energy was now hitting him like a ton of bricks; now came the fear and desperation of finishing this fight while his body still allowed him. This fight was about to end! He didn't care if he broke both his hands; he was going to punch this guy as hard as possible and put him out!

The orange-wearing brawler from Kanto pulled a risky move, coming forward with a flashy roundhouse kick. He didn't mask it at all, just coming straight out with it.

For this simple mistake... Shingo was finally provided the opportunity to end this thing.

"ONE!"

As Jo's kick came at him, Shingo lunged forward and thrust his elbow into Jo's gut.

"TWO!"

A short, sharp uppercut followed, sending Jo's chin facing up.

"THREE!"

A spinning backfist crashed into Jo's temple, sending him shimmying sideways.

"FOUR!"

Shingo went airborne, twisting his body and throwing a picture-perfect spinning kick that sent Jo back the other way.

The brown haired idol of Kyo leaped back, raising his arm and rotating it like a propeller. This was it... the final blow!

"FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!"

Shingo lunged in with everything he had and gave Jo the chin-checking of his life. Jo's face nearly caved inwards; if one could replay it in slow motion, they would see his skin ripple like raging tides.

Jo Kusanagi went flying back so hard, it looked like he was hit by a wrecking ball. Inertia failed to take part, and the poor guy literally didn't stop flying until he hit the wall of the Coliseum.

 **WINNER: SHINGO YABUKI**

The gargantuan force, speed, and beautiful destruction of that last punch was so breathtaking, everyone in the Coliseum was on their feet. Including the fighters.

"Oh... my... f***ing... god." Benimaru barely managed to utter.

"That f***ing kid...!" Iori screeched.

"I told you guys. That kid is the future." Kyo smiled.

"What a goddamn punch." K' whistled.

"Shingo is as resilient as ever. What a guy." Seth nodded with respect.

Down in the combat zone, the victorious Shingo showed off a little. Well aware that he didn't have flame powers, he produced a lighter from his pocket and a tiny pint-sized bottle of rum. He threw the bottle in the air and then uppercut it with the lighter ignited in his hand. The end result was Shingo's fist breaking the glass... and the booze in contact with the flame causing a spontaneous combustion in the air, giving off the illusion of Shingo throwing a flaming uppercut.

"HA HA! ONE CLOSER TO THE FINALS!" he laughed in triumph as he thrust his fist in the air, happy that his little stunt worked. The audience liked it too, as they broke out in an uproar of positive reception.

"Heh, well played Shingo." Kyo smiled. "He's in his element out here. That kid is gonna be a King of Fighters champion someday."

"Could be this week." Benimaru smirked.

"Nah... not while I'm still here."

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #37: GORO DAIMON VS TUNG FU RUE**

Tung Fu Rue was perhaps the most seasoned fighter in this presiding universe. Now in his 70s, he was an immortal figure in the annals of martial arts history, having trained not only Jeff Bogard... but Geese Howard himself. The man was a bottomless well of knowledge, wisdom, discipline, and he commanded the highest admiration and respect from all those around him. Nobody dared to cross him, not even the most heartless of barbarians. He was THAT regarded.

...Status aside, he was still an old man. He didn't move like he used to. Much of his strength and speed had weathered away... but deep inside his warrior spirit, a ferocious power still lie dormant. On any given day he could still unleash it, and surprise a youngster or two with some hidden strength.

Goro Daimon tightened his headband and got into stance... but upon seeing Tung approach, he got to his knees and kowtowed.

"Master Tung... it's a tremendous honor to face you." Goro stated, his forehead still touching ground. "I have so much respect for you, and I don't wish to harm you. Please, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Tung's stern face lightened up a little, and he stroked his beard. "Heh heh... don't count me out so easily, young man. There's a fine line between respect and foolishness. If you take me lightly, I will punish you severely."

Goro quickly stood back up, getting back into stance. "Very well then, Master Tung. I'll give you all I've got."

 **FIGHT!**

Daimon carefully treaded forward, wary of Tung's speed and trickery. He started off with one of his most basic moves: a weak kick, which only served as a distraction as he charged forward to clinch with the old man in hopes of throwing him to the ground.

However, Tung was onto Goro's little scheme and met him headfirst with a stunning jab to the face. The short man had to leap up just to reach Goro's head, but the hit paid off as Daimon was stopped in his tracks.

Tung continued his counter by lunging deep with a fist to Goro's pelvis, before twisting around and sending the large man backwards with a double kick to the stomach.

"Have a taste of my chi!" Tung taunted as his fist glowed with an orange hue. The old man leaped at Goro, striking him hard in the chest with a blow that finally toppled the imposing figure.

"Damn, Daimon's getting lit up." Benimaru stated the obvious.

"I'm just not sure he has the bag of tricks to win this fight. Master Tung can do it all." Kyo worried.

With a growl, Goro lunged forward with a double palm. Master Tung sidestepped it and countered with a chi-infused palm strike to his left ribs. Goro felt half his body freeze... these moves were seriously damaging him!

Tung went for another strike, but this time Goro made him pay for it. Seizing him tight, Goro pivoted and hip-tossed Tung to the ground, slamming him hard.

"Oooouf!" Tung grunted, a slight wheeze from his elderly lungs.

Goro stayed mounted on top; no way Tung could get him off. Deciding now was a good time to end this, he grabbed Tung's left arm and put him in a straight armbar, using only the bare strength of his arms instead of leverage. He kept the old man pinned down with a knee on his right leg and one on his stomach.

"Ouch! Hey, take it easy on the guy Daimon!" Benimaru called out. "You're gonna break him to pieces!"

Goro cranked hard on his arm... but something was wrong. Tung was actually fighting against him somehow! At his age, surely he didn't have the strength to...?

"Want to see something cool, young man? RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Before Goro could open his mouth in shock, he was sent flying across the arena by Tung. The old man had summoned one of his most legendary techniques: the ability to infuse his muscles with chi and increase his body mass not just tenfold... more like a hundredfold.

"Heh heh... that never gets old." Terry snickered.

Tung remained a hulking behemoth for only a few seconds before reverting back to normal. The wise old man was smart enough not to waste all his energy at once; he only used that to get back to his feet.

"Your skills are impressive... Master Tung." Goro stated, slowly crawling back up and dusting himself off.

"Your acknowledgement is appreciated." Tung bowed. "Now, let's continue!"

Goro closed in on him with openhanded slaps, but the attacks whizzed over the short man. With a chuckle, Tung sent three lightning-fast jabs into Goro's ribs. The big man buckled, and attempted a desperate backhanded swing. Tung did a quick ukemi between his legs, appearing from the other end and kangaroo-kicking the backs of his knees to make him fall over like a mighty oak.

"Ngh!" Goro grunted as he quickly rolled forward and spun around. Tung was flying at him, fist extended... this time, Goro would counter.

Snatching Tung in mid-attack, Goro dropped onto his back and did the Judo foot launch to send Tung flying across the arena. Tung failed to get his feet back under him, and he landed hard on his back.

"Auggh... cough cough... impressive move, young man." Tung groaned. "But I'm not done!"

Goro rolled forward and tried to dive at his legs, but Tung leaped into the air and used the back of Goro's head as a stepping stone, planting the sole of his foot in the base of his skull and disorienting him.

As the slightly dazed Goro wobbled forward, Tung lunged in with a deep body punch... but he infused his arm with chi and it grew to big, beefy proportions. The regular punches hurt bad enough... this one would hurt twice as bad.

"OUUUUUUGH!" Goro's body folded inwards as the power of that chi-fueled punch knocked him backwards. His butt skidded across the ground for several seconds, until the friction burned like a live flame. This time, he was slow to get up... MUCH slower.

"Daimon's getting the worst of it. He's gotta do something, or this is over..." Kyo muttered.

The two got back into stance and circled a few times, neither one making a move. Goro finally threw a right hand... but it was only a feint. As Tung reacted to the fakeout, Goro actually extended his right leg and tripped Tung's left foot, making the unsuspecting old man fall to the ground.

"Gotcha."

Goro dived on Tung and draped his legs over the old man's small body. Snatching his right arm this time, Goro used both hands to pull back with all his might, the most traditional of armbars. Quick, effective... dangerous, if held on for too long.

"Holy shit. He's gonna break Tung's arm." Andy cried.

"No, Tung's about to get out of this. Look." Terry pointed.

Sure enough, Tung remained ever-calm and pumped chi into his right arm, turning it into a large, roided out appendage.

"Oh no you don't! HNNNNNNNNNNNGH!" Goro strained with all his facial muscles, sweat forming as he tried to pull back with everything he had... but it wasn't enough.

With a laugh, Tung rose back to his feet and lifted Goro effortlessly. Swinging him around like a lasso, he slammed Daimon against the ground so hard the earth cracked.

He was sure Goro was done after that one. Stroking his beard, he walked away and reveled in victory... but the Judoka didn't get the memo. As Tung heard his grunts of anguish, he turned back around.

"Hmm? You're getting back up? Quite a resilient one, you are!"

Goro tightened his headband. "With all due respect master, this tournament is my final chance for glory. When this is over, I will return home to my wife and kid. How could I face them if I didn't give it my all? I left them there, alone... to pursue this. If I went back, having not given it everything I've got... my leaving them would be for nothing. They would only berate me for such a colossal waste of time. That's why I'm going to win this thing... win this, and return home with my head held high!"

Tung gave a respectful bow. "You fight with much heart. Very well then... I shall show you MY heart. If you're going to go all out... SO AM I! GRRAAAAAAAAAGH!"

This time, it wasn't temporary; Tung had actively transformed his entire being. His arms bulged to unprecedented heights, his torso blowing up with rippling muscle. His legs grew three times in size, until they were riddled with veins and curvature.

Tung Fu Rue, formerly an old man who would fail horribly at basketball... now towered over the likes of Daimon, Krauser, or the most ferocious of dinosaurs. It was an awe-inspiring sight to behold.

"Master... Tung... Fu... f***ing... Rue..." Benimaru's words drew out.

"Wow... I wonder if that's what Master Tung looked like 50 years ago!" Mai gasped.

"Now we'll see the extent of Master Tung's power." Terry analyzed, his face ever-focused.

The gigantic Tung stomped towards Goro, his clothes ripped, his anatomy like a sculptor's dream. But Goro didn't back down; the bravehearted Judoka only came forward to meet him.

"RRRAAAAAGH!" Tung came spinning at him like a whirlwind, his fists going around and around in a deadly spiral. Goro held his arms up, timed the rotation... caught him!

Goro twisted around and threw the massive Tung over his head, sending the monstrous old man hard to the ground. Tung sprang back up and came at him with massive punches; it would only take one to bury him probably. Goro dodged the first two well, then backed Tung up by kicking him in the stomach with his hard wooden geta.

Goro grew bold; he leaped at Tung, clamping his legs around Tung's left arm and securing the wrist tight in his hands. His body weight and momentum diving at Tung like that caused the huge old man to tumble to the ground. Goro had him where he wanted him...

Tung was actually in pain as Goro pulled back on the arm, once again attempting to crank it to oblivion. He managed to get back up... but he was visibly slower than the previous times. Goro was actually wearing him down...

Tung threw Daimon off of him; Daimon did a perfect roll to recover and spring up. Still, he wasn't broken; no matter what Tung dished out, he took it.

Tung's fist found his cheek, the immense impact causing his knee to buckle. Goro sprang back up and a second fist from Tung dropped him all the way. Goro desperately rolled at Tung's feet and secured the left leg. Using his foot to sweep Tung's right leg out, he brought the behemoth to the ground.

This time, instead of a submission... Goro used his god-given muscles to mount Tung and start punching him in the face. For a man who likes to throw people, Goro could still punch the shit out of someone with his impressive arms. Tung took several intense blows to the face before he finally got desperate and unleashed a risky move.

"GRRRRAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Tung channeled his chi, not to a body part, not to his interior... but external. He unleashed a massive payload from his body to explode with awesome might, blasting Goro off of him. It was a move only for the most desperate of situations, as expelling that much chi at once could be draining...

Goro was badly hurt from that one. He showed it too; as he stood back up, his body uncontrollably wobbled side to side, his feet just barely able to maintain him.

...But Tung was on the bad side too. He didn't want to use that move; he wanted to avoid it at all costs. Now he HAD to end this, lest he collapse from fatigue...

Goro ran headfirst at him, no other strategy in mind. He had to knock him out. Tung sensed this, and he drew back his palms to gather energy for one final attack... either it would work or it wouldn't.

"This looks like the end! They're desperate!" Terry exclaimed.

Goro closed in on him, and at the same time... Tung thrust his hands forward and expelled a catastrophic orange beam of raw energy, pelting Goro head on with its blazing might.

"AAARGH!" Goro was immediately sent backwards by the beam, being pushed back second by second, further and further away from Tung. This was it... it was over for him...

When at last the blast ended, Goro was absolutely spent. His muscles weighed him down, his skin burning, lungs expelling painful breaths. It was all he could do to stand... he had to stand just a little longer...

Tung was in equal shape, that last attack draining him of everything he had. With weak, labored breaths, his muscles slowly began to dissipate. His arms returned to normal, his legs, his awesome abdomen and impressive pecs... his body glowed a faint orange as he returned to his normal, short, frail self.

"Huff... huff... huff... I concede. I have no more strength left." Tung panted. With those exhausted words, he fell to his knees.

That was music to Goro's ears; with a smile, he fell to his knees and raised his arms in triumph.

 **WINNER: GORO DAIMON**

"Master Tung, you fought a great battle." Goro bowed, not one to revel in victory for very long.

"As did you." Tung softly uttered, still on the ground controlling his breathing. "If only one could master time travel, ha ha ha..."

"Master Tung... your skills will always be great. Age is only a number." Goro replied.

"Ha... unfortunately my boy, age will always be undefeated."

Terry and Andy finally went out there to help up their master, while Kyo and Benimaru went out there to help Daimon.

"There ya go, big guy. You did great!" Benimaru complimented.

"Japan Team still undefeated." Goro grinned, flashing a thumbs up.

"Yep, now it's all up to you Kyo. You're not gonna let us down, right?" Beni teased.

Kyo scoffed. "...Are you asking ME that?"

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #38: ASH CRIMSON VS AI**

Since many fighters were more aware of Ash's role in Those From the Past and his theft of the sacred treasures, and not really the finer details... there were very few rooting for him. Oswald and Duo Lon seemed to be the only two present... even Elisabeth was silently praying he'd lose. She didn't want him around any longer than necessary, potentially causing mischief.

Despite her cutesy appearance, Ai was a super tough agent with plenty of gizmos at her disposal like Yuki. Unfortunately, her main weakness was that she rarely ever fought without Yuki at her side. She wasn't well-versed in one-on-one combat. Ash probably wouldn't have that problem...

"My my, what an adorable little cupcake you are." Ash sneered, hand on his hip, other hand playfully twirling his platinum blonde locks. "You look more like you're ready for the shopping mall than a fight."

Ai stomped angrily. "Don't pick on me! Hmph! I've saved the world before, you know!"

Ash chuckled. "So? I helped nearly destroy the world."

Ai got into stance. "Well, I guess that makes us enemies."

Ash snickered. "Honey, what else is new?"

 **FIGHT!**

Ash went low with a kick to her calf; he was able to follow through on it, since the hard impact actually lifted Ai's leg. As Ash spun, he came back around with a leaping kick to her stomach, emblazoned with his emerald flame.

"Heh." to finish off the combo, Ash flicked his wrist with sass and blasted Ai off her feet with another taste of his fire: in the shape of a crescent projectile.

Ai was slow to get up, clutching her side in pain... that hurt a lot worse than she thought. Ash was a very un-athletic looking person... but obviously he had some power.

The gamer girl rushed forward again... but Ash just stood there with a shit-eating grin and both hands on his hips. He apparently wasn't worried about whatever offense she had to offer.

Ai used the power of her NeoGeo Pocket to materialize a baseball bat in her hands. Getting a good spinning start, she unleashed a home-run swing towards Ash's head. But the snarky boy just tilted his head back and the wooden weapon whizzed past him, causing only a slight swaying of his locks.

Ai followed through on her big whiff to spin all the way around and go low at his feet. But Ash just giggled and leaped up, hands still on his hips.

The frustrated Ai came around a third time... and this time Ash extended his left hand and caught the bat in his grasp.

"AHHHH HAHAHAHAHAAAAA~!" he cackled as the bat burst into flames, traveling all the way down the handle until it scorched Ai's hands.

"Ow ow owwwww!" she hissed as she leaped back in pain, furiously flailing her hands. Thankfully the flames didn't touch her long enough to cause serious burns.

As she recovered from the quick sting, she looked up just in time for Ash to swing his leg in a horizontal arc and send a fireball crashing into her chest.

"AHH!" she squealed as she was once again sent down.

"AI! USE YOUR FORCEFIELD, DUMMY!" Yuki encouraged.

"...Oh yeah~"

Ash charged at her with malicious intent... but he received his first surprise of the fight when Ai's game device glowed blue and produced a huge, transparent forcefield around her entire being. As he was running headfirst at her... he didn't have enough time to stop and the field blasted him backwards like an electric fence.

"OOOF!" Ash hissed as he got back up to his feet, rubbing his backside. "I do NOT appreciate that!"

"Then you won't like this even more~" Ai giggled.

Ash walked up to her menacingly, his body glowing green... but he would never have the chance to get close.

THUD!

The impact at his feet was so instant, so unexpected, so spontaneous... he stumbled backwards and fell on his butt.

"Wha... what... is... did you just... DROP THAT ON ME?"

The hard object in question was something out of an arcade machine, something Ash never thought he'd see in real life, much less sitting at his feet. It was a large green tetromino, shaped like an L, straight out of the virtual world. Four cubes formed the foundation of it, creating a large, substantial shape used for stacking in columns and rows.

"Yep~" Ai grinned.

Once the initial shock wore off, Ash angrily leaped to his feet. "Grr... try that again little missy, and I'll punish you big time."

"Ooops... well, more's already coming~"

"What?!"

Ash squealed as the objects rained down from above, in all shapes and colors. A red one, shaped like a square. A blue one that zigzagged. A green one that was completely vertical. Yes, videogames were coming to life... and attacking him.

The nimble boy pressed forward, leaping to the side just as each tetromino crashed with frightening impact. Sometimes he had to cartwheel out of the way, as they came mere centimeters from hitting him. If one of those hit... it could very well break a bone.

"Guh... trying to keep me at a distance eh?" Ash hissed. Well, let's see how your little blocks react to THIS!"

Ash met the next falling shape head-on, with a spinning kick emblazoned with fire. His foot ran through the object like butter, burning it to oblivion. Two more objects threatened to crash into him, but he swung his arms in an X-shape and produced two fiery crescents that soared and blew them up in mid-air.

Now Ai was getting a little worried.

"Ah! He's getting closer! Gotta think... gotta think... ah! My secret weapon! Hee hee hee... that's right, prettyboy. Come closer~"

Ash obliged, coming at her with green embers spewing from every orifice. Even his eyes gave off the flicker of green hues, as if his very gaze was searing into her eyes.

He closed in on her and threw a wide, looping horizontal kick... but Ai had a trick up her sleeve that negated his hand-to-hand completely.

"JOY JOY BALLOON!"

As absurd as it seems, Ai had somehow materialized a hot-air balloon using the mighty, innovative power of her top-secret technology. She took to the skies, far out of reach of whatever danger Ash possessed on the ground.

"Hmph... for such a docile little cutie, you sure have a lot of fancy tricks." Ash taunted. "But pray tell... HOW are you going to hurt me from up there?"

"Like this!"

It was time for Ash to once again be surprised... this time in the form of dodging explosive ordinance.

"GAH!" he grunted as he cartwheeled out of the way of a straight-up bomb Ai had chucked from out of nowhere. He got away from the first one, and the one that followed after... but a third explosive broke through.

BOOM!

The explosion sent Ash tumbling across the ground. Although he was fast enough to avoid a direct hit... he was still banged up from the intense proximity of the shockwave. He would surely be wearing some bruises tonight, but WORST OF ALL... his hair was now a mess. It was a bunch of horrific, tangled, crooked locks, all bunched up together and smoldering. He was thankful he didn't have a mirror right now... or he would surely die upon looking at his own reflection.

"You little... skank..." Ash spat, slowly rising up from the ground, his body now a blazing inferno of green. "YOU ARE DEAD MEAT!"

"Come get me~" Ai teased.

She readied two more bombs and threw them... but Ash smoked them mid-flight and the resulting explosion and smokescreen blew in Ai's face.

"AGH! COUGH COUGH COUGH... UGHHHHH!"

When at last the toxic black haze subsided... Ash was standing there, hands extended, and in his grasp... a huge, menacing sphere of pent-up flame. It burned big and bright, like an ominous green ball of almighty destruction. It's size and furious power was a heart-stopping sight to behold.

"Try getting away from this one, girly."

Ash sent the massive ball of flame shooting at her. It struck her balloon dead-on, creating a monumental explosion of green fire and black smoke. The entire area in the sky disappeared in a shroud of the most unsettling dark green smog.

Yuki immediately leaped up to his feet. "Ai! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Thankfully, a lone figure emerged from the horrifying catastrophe... dropping to the floor like a fly with its wings clipped. Ai was still breathing, but she was wearing a thick layer of black like a burnt piece of bacon. Her hair was pointing in all directions, the whites of her eyes her most distinguishable feature.

As her burning lungs produced tear-inducing coughs... her cap floated down to Earth nonchalantly.

 **WINNER: ASH CRIMSON**

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"YOU SUCK! ASSHOLE!"

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BE SO ROUGH!"

"JERK!"

"SHE WAS JUST AN INNOCENT GIRL!"

Ash used one hand to straighten his hair... and with the other hand, he cupped his ear as if to beckon and encourage the audience's disapproval and passionate contempt.

"Heh heh heh heh... that's right. Hate me. Boo me. It's natural to hate what you yourself can never measure up to. It's just mankind's envious nature! AHAHAHAHAHAHA~"

Yuki angrily shoved past him and ran out there to scoop up Ai in his arms.

"Ai! Ai! You're gonna be okay! Can you talk?"

Despite her awful appearance... she managed to produce a smile.

"Cough cough... he got me good, hee hee. You're... you're just better than me as usual, Yuki..."

Yuki pressed her face against his, his embrace tightening. "Oh Ai... you know I could never be anything without you to watch my back. Promise me you'll take a long rest at the hospital, k?"

"Okay... cough cough... ugh. I have an awful taste in my mouth. Hee hee~!"

Meanwhile, even the winner couldn't escape from the wrath of those who painfully dedicated themselves to his moral and physical well-being.

"You went too hard on her." Elisabeth scolded. "Were you trying to burn her alive?"

"Oh come ON, Betty!" Ash snarked. "She messed up my hair! She deserves worse than she got. It's gonna take all night to fix this... ooogh..."

Elisabeth facepalmed. "You know what? I can't even deal with you right now. You're despicable. Come on, Duo. Let's go get a drink."

The Frenchwoman walked away, Duo trailing behind. Ash could have sworn he heard Duo give a snort of disapproval.

"...You really could have toned that one down a notch." the only remaining person said.

"Oh shut up, Ozzy."

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #39: CLARK STILL VS ? ?**

The only Ikari Warrior left to fight in Round 1, Clark had a reputation to uphold. His team had only suffered one loss, and he needed to bounce back from that with a victory here. Heidern, Leona, and Ralf were all watching. He couldn't afford to look bad... ESPECIALLY after Ralf won.

"Cmon, partner! It's up to you now!" Ralf cheered.

"This guy looks like trouble." Leona said, leaned over, hand on her chin.

Heidern said nothing, as if he was deep in thought...

At last, it was this guy's turn... the man of mystery who had entered this contest through treacherous means. His black cloak remained tight, shrouding any granule of identity. The only thing that could be seen were... his well-polished shoes.

"This is the guy who smoked D." Terry stated. "I wonder what techniques he'll use."

"Whatever it is, this guy is BAD NEWS." Benimaru replied. "I don't envy Clark right now."

"Who knows? Maybe he'll be a giant pissant." K' chuckled as his own pessimism.

"He still wrecked D, so obviously he has some skill. Let's just shut up and watch." Benimaru fired back.

In the combat zone, Clark had his arms extended, not bothering to hide his gameplan. He was a grappler; although the man was bigger than him, taking him down would be Clark's best chance of victory.

"I don't suppose you're gonna tell me who you are." Clark pressed.

The man said nothing.

"Of course. Well, I can respect that. Let's have a good fight."

 **FIGHT!**

Poor Clark... he had no way of ever knowing. He charged at the man so naively, so... honestly. To him, this was a friendly sporting bout, no ill intentions to be had. For a man whose home was the battlefield, it was a chance for good, clean fun.

...But as the horrified audience soon witnessed, the black-cloaked man was here for another reason. Those intentions were revealed like the flipping of a page, the igniting of a flame, the snap of a finger. It took only a second for his cold, cruel message to be delivered...

And that message had two words.

"Genocide..."

SLASH!

"...Cutter."

The audience was initially silent; perhaps they hadn't seen what happened well enough to be terrified. Or maybe the pure shock of it took several seconds to process.

Clark felt his body grow weak, his vision blurry as he fell backwards and hit the ground before he even knew what happened. His blood fell all around him, staining his fallen body and the ground before him. His kevlar vest was severed, a huge, white-hot gash spilling his warm essence until he was soaking in a puddle of his own being.

The black-cloaked man's leg still remained upwards, where he had unleashed the most impeccable arcing kick, the chi so deadly and sharp that it could kill a man dead.

"YOU SON OF A BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!"

The vengeful scream of Heidern pierced the silence as the commander came SOARING out of the stands, closing in on the man like a speeding jet. He drew his arm back, coursing with his own lethal chi energy.

SLASH!

In the blink of an eye Heidern was beside him, on one knee, his arm in post-attack.

And before the eyes of 80,000 plus people... The black cloak fell to the ground in two halves.

There he stood, in all his gruesome glory. He was shirtless, his muscles and torso a lot more defined and sculpted than usual. In true aristocratic fashion, he was wearing a pair of fancy black slacks that complimented his expensive shoes well. His hair was no longer blonde, but white as snow. It was also very unkempt, hanging down to his shoulders and loose strands covering his scowling face. His skin was an abnormally dark color... almost obsidian.

And the cherry on top to complete the image: not one piercing red eye... but two.

"HOW?!" Iori screeched. "I watched him die! He was obliterated to nothing!"

"...That's not Rugal." Benimaru deduced. "It can't possibly be. You think this was NESTS's work?"

"NESTS is f***ing toast." K' reassured.

"Maybe WAREZ had one more clone up their sleeve before they went belly-up..." Yuki suggested.

Ralf and Leona were out there quickly, scooping Clark up in their arms. They were getting drenched in red warmth... but they didn't care at the moment.

"CLARK!" Ralf cried. "SPEAK TO ME!"

"I... I'm... c-cold..." Clark shivered, his pigment almost mayonnaise in palor.

"MEDIC! NOW! NOW, GOD DAMMIT!"

Chizuru was sprinting like a woman possessed. "No... no no no no no... this is not happening. This is not happening. This is not happening."

In a split second, she arrived at Geese's VIP booth.

"Did you know about this?!"

Geese immediately got defensive. "Hey, I didn't know shit! Go get an ambulance here fast!"

"I already called one. What are we going to do about this...?"

Geese shrugged. "What can we do? He has an entry card."

"But you can't possibly let him... uuuuuugh! I'm stopping the contest."

"What? Cmon Chizuru, don't be so spineless! We can't just-"

"...We have to clean Clark's blood off the ground and calm the audience down..."

 **WHEW! What a whammy eh? Is that the real Rugal? Will Clark die? All this and more, in the final chapter of Round 1!**

 **There's one fight left. If you've been paying attention, you SHOULD know who's fighting. They've been in front of your faces the whole time :D**

 **Stay tuned for the pulse-pounding conclusion to Round 1!**


	14. Chapter 14: Opening Round, pt 10

**The correct answer to last chap's homework was "Aggressors of Dark Kombat". That's a cookie for my friend Rex Madison! And some root beer, because I just luv the stuff and want to share it with the whole world~**

 **Enjoy the final fight of Round 1.**

It took a good bit of damage control to absolve the situation caused by the thing called "Rugal". The television viewers were treated to a buttload of commercial breaks, the live audience had to be reassured that Clark was still kicking, and concessions were marked down abruptly. Of course, once the media got their mitts on this... things would be bad.

Regarding the fighters themselves, things weren't much better. Heidern was being forcefully restrained by Ralf and Leona, nearly jumping out of his skin at the opportunity to run his hand through the heart of the thing that wore his sworn enemy's face. Ralf's strength and Leona's heart were enough to hold him back.

Iori Yagami, on the other hand...

"...I'm gonna go kill him."

"Tch, you're not." Benimaru scoffed.

"You wanna f***ing bet?" Iori flared up.

"Look, man... you know how this is gonna play out. Geese is not gonna call things off because of this incident. He's gonna let that abomination keep competing with the rest of us, ya dig?"

"Tch, I don't give a shit. I just... gah... I really want to kill him right now. I can feel it in my fingertips... tingling... hahahahahaha..."

Benimaru sensed Iori was becoming a little unhinged, judging from that abrupt chuckling... so he wisely took a few steps back.

"R-right... well uh... look, man. Just take it easy, okay? Orochi is buried. That thing calling itself Rugal is just a cheap ripoff. You've got nothing to prove by... y-you know... ripping his innards out."

"...I don't care. That stupid face brings back all those stupid memories. Goenitz, Vice, Mature, those other three assholes... what a shit time that was. Ugh, this sucks."

Without the slightest warning, Iori put his hands in his pockets and walked away. Benimaru was none more prepared to respond to Iori's weird ranting, so he just kept his mouth shut and silently thanked god that this awkward conversation was over.

In Geese's VIP booth, an interesting discussion was underway between the two hosts. And, like usual, it went just as scripted: one had an opinion on the matter, and the other didn't like it. Guess which was which...

"Is there any word on the soldier guy?" Geese asked.

"...Clark's in critical condition. Blood transfusions are keeping him alive for now. Rugal went too far, Geese... we've got to ax him."

"Well, this is the perfect opportunity, yeah? He's in a competition with 39 other badasses." Geese smiled.

"That's not what I mean!" Chizuru barked. "Jesus, Geese... I mean he deserves to be disqualified. Hell, he already entered the competition through dirty means anyway. Nobody will bat an eye if we cut him."

"Chizuru, you couldn't be more wrong." Geese argued. "First of all, you approved of the rule in the first place that anybody with an entry card could get into the competition, even if they steal one."

"B-but..."

"SECONDLY... this is Rugal f***ing Bernstein here. Back from the dead! Do you know what this will do for our ratings? Sure he roughed up Clark a bit, but we have top medical professionals and resources to save him. Trust me, once he pulls through this... the controversy will turn into profit."

Chizuru wanted to be surprised... but she knew too well how Geese thought.

"I should have known you'd have zero regard for the health and potential life of the other contestants. You want to keep that monster around until he finally kills someone, don't you? You would just eat it up!"

Geese didn't respond, just a little grin and a hand on his chin.

"...GEESE!"

The blonde man finally gave up. "I'm done with this right now. Just announce the last fight already."

"Done? We're not done!" Chizuru fired back. "We have to solve this Rugal situation before things get out of hand!"

"There IS no situation. He's just a contestant who went a little too far. Just let the audience know Clark pulled through and announce the last fight already. I want to get out of here."

Throwing her hands up in defeat, Chizuru stormed off. But not without one last threatening message:

"We're not done yet, Geese. I'll see you later."

 **OPENING ROUND FIGHT #40: KYO KUSANAGI VS KULA DIAMOND**

"DAMN YOU CHIZURU! THIS ISN'T FAIR!" Diana squealed, Foxy and Candy holding her back from exploding where she stands.

"D-Diana, calm dow-"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! THERE WERE 39 PEOPLE TO CHOOSE FROM AND MY KULA HAS TO FIGHT KYO FREAKING KUSANAGI! I DEMAND TO SEE SOMEONE!"

"...Will you give it a rest already, idiot?" those words were courtesy of Angel, who had a look of pity on her face as her head shook side to side.

"What did you say?!" Diana and Foxy immediately squared up; when it came to their former NESTS colleague, it didn't take much to brew up some animosity.

"Have you forgotten that Kula was specifically made to kill fire-users? She has a better chance against Kyo than anyone else in the universe."

Diana rolled her eyes and sat back down, arms folded. "Hmph. What do you know anyway? Traitorous bitch."

Angel stuck her tongue out and wiggled her fingers, seemingly unfazed by Diana's genuine hatred.

"Let''s just believe in Kula, with all our heart." Foxy eased the situation. "She's our girl."

"Yes she is~!" Angel exclaimed.

"...Shut up. You don't get to cheer for Kula." Foxy retorted.

Angel's cheerful expression became a pout. "Awwwwww why noooooot?"

"You know why! If you wanna keep sitting here with us, then just... shut up. You're annoying."

Angel rolled her eyes and leaned back, crossing her legs. "Heh... whatevs. I'm still sexy."

At last, things were finally underway again. Rugal was long gone, the combat zone was clean, the audience had been appeased. Somehow... they survived that horrific incident. The tournament was salvaged, still living to fight another day.

This was the last fight of the afternoon, and it was shaping up to be a good one. Two opposing elements: fire and ice, a story as old as time itself. Which one had the advantage? Fire melts ice, but ice is composed of fire's greatest enemy. It was the greatest conundrum: a never ending paradox.

...But now, on this most revered of battlegrounds, the age-old question would at last be resolved. The two representatives of these arch-rival elements would clash in this ultimate final battle... and only one would emerge on top.

Kula was the first one out. The young girl captivated the hearts of the audience with her gentle appearance and tender youth. She was the ultimate face of innocence and purity... and her special power was lethal. Originally augmented to eliminate K', she now looked to him as one of her strongest supporters, along with her beloved Diana, Foxy, and her best friend Candy Diamond. The support for Kula was overwhelming, as the girl just commanded adoration from everyone around her. Who could possibly hate such an adorable snowflake?

...But Kyo Kusanagi had amassed quite a legacy in his time. The man was ROYALTY; he had done things in the King of Fighters tournament that bards will sing about for millenia to come. Winning the tournament four years in a row, killing Rugal, defeating the Hakkeshu and re-sealing Orochi... this man had seen and done it all. He was one of, if not THE, most decorated champion in King of Fighters history. His exploits were simply the stuff of legend.

But it WAS a new year. With each new year, some fires grow hotter... and some dim down to an afterglow. In this present year, could Kyo Kusanagi still recapture the glory he commanded in the early tournaments? Did the undying flame of his warrior spirit still burn bright... or was it a mere flicker?

The audience quieted to a dead silence as these two warriors faced each other in the combat zone at last.

"Mr. Kusanagi." Kula bowed, her hands bashfully behind her back as she smiled.

"Looks like we're the last ones, kiddo." Kyo smiled, a faint little upwards curling of his lips... not too much to show serious emotion, but just enough to give a pleasant vibe.

"Yes, sir. I uh... was not expecting to fight you, hee hee hee..." Kula giggled.

"Heh. Likewise. But lets put on an awesome climax for the people. There's no need for all this drama and bullcrap. It's just you and me."

"Agreed! Let's do this, Kyo!"

"After you, kid."

 **FIGHT!**

Everyone was on their feet as two of the most powerful elementals in this universe were about to clash...

When Kyo threw the first swing, the audience went wild. He led with the heel of his foot, burying it in Kula's chest and knocking the petite girl on her butt. She quickly sprang up, her strawberry blonde hair turning icy blue as her ice powers slid her forward to throw a massive looping sweep kick. Her foot went a full 360, causing Kyo to backflip to avoid getting tripped up. But as Kyo retreated, Kula followed up by leaping high and unleashing a huge snowflake-shaped projectile coursing with her ice energy. It descended upon Kyo, intending to give him a cold shoulder...

But Kyo was warming up as well. His body ignited like the push of a button, as he turned to unleash a wide spinning kick. His foot blazed a trail of flame, vaporizing the projectile in less than a second.

Kyo smoothly followed through, spinning all the way around a second time and then using his momentum to charge forward. With his right foot, he took a DEEP lunge, his flaming fist drawn back to unleash on Kula's face...

But the adorable ice girl merely smiled. An innocent, angelic... almost CREEPY smile. Just her face was enough to freeze Kyo to his core and give him goosebumps... why was she unafraid?! Looking into her eyes made him suddenly indecisive, unsure of himself... his flames started to dim. God, she really WAS ice... she could extinguish him with a mere look.

And then Kula slowly, ever-so-gently lifted her hand to her mouth... and gave the softest little puff of air.

Kyo sensed his advance halting. He didn't feel the cold at first, just the force of the wind stopping him... but when that chill hit, it hit HARD. The flames around his body went out with a dying flicker as his skin began to flare up with the pain of a thousand needles. It ached harder with each passing second, until Kyo was silently PRAYING for the numbness to take effect...

Like a train with the brake pulled, Kyo's attack halted and the flame-wielder fell to his knees shivering, just inches away from reaching the smiling Kula.

"That's my girl!" Diana leaped up and cheered. "His fire is useless!"

Kyo hissed and cursed as his teeth chattered against his will. It took a moment for him to get back up; his body was fighting against him, kind of like when one sleeps on their leg or arm and it goes numb in the night. His entire body was like that at the moment.

"Okay... you've got some cool powers, girl." Kyo tried to lighten the mood with a lame pun.

"Hee hee! Nice one~" Kula giggled.

When at last the feeling returned to his limbs, Kyo pushed forward once again. He threw a crisp 1-2 that pelted Kula's guard and backed her up, then fired off a swift body kick behind it that stunned her in the ribs.

As Kula froze up from the bodily impact, Kyo punished her with a spinning backfist to her cheek. The force and momentum of his fist colliding actually knocked her around 180 before she fell to her knees.

Kula had to act fast to recover. Pressing her fists against the ground for leverage, she rotated her body quickly and countered with a slicing kick to Kyo's ankle. He grunted as he felt his balance go awry... and he was unable to block the following upkick to his nose.

"Ngh!" he stumbled back a few steps as Kula leaped up to her feet and slid forward, her feet equipped with some kind of makeshift ice skates. They caused her to be able to close distance on him in the blink of an eye, and she encased her knuckles with crystal before burying them into Kyo's stomach.

Kyo was sent backwards hard on his heels. Kula was still skating forward; she threw a right, which he swayed his head to dodge, then he quickly raised his hand to parry a high kick. He countered her hard with a hook to the ribs, as she was unable to block it properly post-kick.

His spirit re-ignited, a flame trail of his blazing essence followed as he pelted her in the face with a spinning forearm, stunning her stiff. Taking advantage of her defenseless state, Kyo pivoted his hip hard and buried the edge of his left foot directly into the groove of her knee joint, causing her leg to go sideways and sever her root.

As Kula was reduced to a limp, retreating backwards... Kyo leaped up and spun around with a devastating flame kick, his heel meeting her temple with explosive might. The ice girl took a hard crash to the ground... and many thought this was over already.

"KULA! NOOO!" Diana screamed. Her love for Kula lighting a passionate fire inside her that blinded rational thought, she leaped up to her feet and started moving like a moth to flame. Diana had always been and always will be Kula's wingman, and even in this singles tournament, she was NOT going to sit by and allow her girl to be pounded on. Some things were just more important than a competition; this was her maternal instincts kicking in. Her first and foremost concern was protecting Kula, even at the risk of disqualification.

"D-Diana wait..." Foxy tried to stop her, but Diana forcefully jerked her arm away and started towads the combat zone.

"HOLD ON! I'M COMING!"

"...I can't let you do that, senorita."

That ruthless voice met her ears, and the next thing she knew, Diana felt an arm snake around her throat, the strength of the assailant lifting her off her feet.

"AGGGGGHK...?!"

Diana was helpless, only able to flail her feet as Angel put her in a standing rear-choke. She was using one arm to effortlessly lift her, Diana's throat crushingly contstricted against Angel's elbow joint. Angel used her other hand to lock her wrist tight in place, preventing Diana from prying it loose.

"HEY! What the hell do you think you're DOING?!" Foxy screamed, the abrupt escalation of the situation causing her to fly up to her feet and draw her sword in a flash. She had the tip aimed at Angel's neck, ready to pierce through her like a pincushion. Candy was also on her feet, fists raised.

"Let her go! NOW!"

"Hey, I'm just doing what I was paid to do." Angel smiled, her tongue hanging out of her mouth goofily.

Diana's face was turning purple at this point. Candy's fists trembled, the desire to jump in and free her clawing away inside...

"Wh-what do you mean?" Foxy asked.

"Okay, look... the reason I came to sit with you guys is because Chizuru was worried y'all wouldn't be able to control yourselves when Kula fought. She was afraid you guys would try to jump in and help her, and then Kula would be disqualified for outside interference. So... she told me to come keep an eye on you~"

"Chizuru! That woman..." Foxy cursed.

"Heh heh... easiest money ever~"

Diana was starting to quite vocally voice her desire to be free, her voice whimpering desperately as her flailing grew wilder and wilder. The woman's air was just about cut off; any tighter, and she WOULD go to sleep.

"Okay, okay! If Diana promises to sit back down, will you let her go?"

"You ALL have to sit back down... and promise me that none of you will try to help Kula." Angel demanded.

"Okay, we promise!" Foxy agreed, the annoyance prominent in her voice.

"And..."

"And?"

"I want you to say I look good."

"Ugh, really..."

"Yep! Cmon, tell me how attractive I am~"

"Tch, fine... you look... really really good in black. Okay, happy?"

"Almost... now kiss me."

Foxy's sword literally fell from her grasp. "WHAT?!"

"I mean it. Gimme a make-up smooch to show that there's no hard feelings between us for past grievances~"

Foxy growled. "You're insane. For your information, there ARE past grievances and there always will be! I am never going to forgive you for what you did!"

Angel's evil smirk turned into a cutesy little pout. "Awwwwwwwww... then I guess Di-Di is going night-night~!"

"No WAIT...!"

Angel's smile came back as she eased off on going any tighter. "Hmmmmm...?"

Foxy had no anger left...she had been angry far too long. She had fought far too long. She was tired now... tired and defeated. Tears streamed down her eyes as her voice broke:

"Please... just leave us alone. I don't know why you have to harass us... torture us... we don't care about NESTS anymore. None of that matters. We just want to be happy with Kula. That's all. We don't want anything to do with the past, or you, or anybody else. I forgive you for anything you may have done. I MEAN it. Now please... let Diana go and go away."

Angel seemed to lose her playful disposition in the midst of Foxy's heartfelt words. Her face turned serious, like the flipping of a light switch... almost like this wasn't fun to her anymore. Something inside that cold, black heart was just moved by the words of a woman at her most desperate.

Suddenly, without warning, Angel let Diana go and the woman collapsed to the ground. She curled up in a fetal position, wheezing as she sucked in mouthfuls of precious air.

"Sigh..." Angel sighed. "Even now, I know you don't really mean it. I know, deep down in your very souls, you lovely girls will always hate me. And you should; I'm a terrible person. I have no sympathy, no compassion, none of that stuff. I love causing people pain and misery. You should hate my f***ing guts."

As Foxy and Candy held the wheezing Diana in their arms, the white-haired luchadora turned and walked off.

"The fact that you lied to my face like that speaks true about your bond. You girls are family... you always stick together and would say or do anything to protect the other. Heh. I wish I had that. Adios~!"

With that abrupt goodbye, Angel walked away from her former NESTS colleagues. Would that be the last time they ever saw her? Perhaps. And the Kula gal pal posse wouldn't have it any other way.

Back in the combat zone, the fight was back underway. Kula held nothing back, channeling her ice powers to their maximum potential. The blue aura coursing around her was so pure, so powerful... her hair couldn't even remain stationary as it floated upwards.

Kyo's response was to bring his fists up to his sides and ignite the true power of his sacred flame. It sprouted all around him, embers floating to the clouds above as his body roared with blazing fury.

"KUSANAGI! DON'T LOSE!" Iori commanded.

"FIGHT ON, KYO!" Benimaru and Daimon screamed in unison.

"YOU'RE NUMBER 1, KUSANAGI!" Shingo exclaimed, thrusting a finger in the air.

K' kept silent. He was too insecure about himself to let anyone know how hard he was rooting for Kula.

Kyo charged forward, screaming with all his might. Kula remained calm, electing a different battle strategy; slamming her palms into the ground, stalagmites began to sprout all over the combat zone around Kyo. Though normally sharp to the touch, she made sure to dull the tips on these to avoid seriously injuring her opponent.

Kyo had to utilize his full body to dodge each stalagmite, as they were shooting up around him with the intent of breaking his advance. He hopped side to side, just as each one would have taken him out at the feet. A few also sprouted in front of him, to stop his forward momentum.

"OUT OF MY WAAAAAY!" Kyo roared as he swung his hand and melted them all to puddles. But they kept coming, one after the other, one after the other... he had to break the cycle.

Another ice pillar shot up in front of him, missing his chin by mere inches... Kyo was forced to halt lest he run headfirst into it. With an angry yell, he punched a hole through it and turned it to liquid in seconds. He looked up; there was a straight shot to Kula!

Kyo flicked his wrist and launched a projectile, sending a column of flame gliding across the ground towards her. It zeroed in on her, sure to hit its mark...

...But Kula just smiled as the flame snuffed out upon touching her. It completely vaporized before Kyo's eyes, naught but a hiss of steam the end result.

"DAMN!"

Kula lunged forward and thrust her hand, sending a concentrated ice blast that soared true and struck Kyo in the chest. The flame-guy's body was put out, just like before... and he collapsed to the ground with his powers nullified.

"G-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-odddddd... d-d-d-d-d-d-dammit..." Kyo shivered as he struggled to get back up. It wasn't the pain that was so bad... it was the numbing! When Kula's ice hit him, it felt like his body was completely frozen inside, like some kind of TV dinner that has to be thawed.

"This is amazing. His flames are useless against her!" Terry exclaimed.

"GO, KULA! EXTINGUISH HIM!" Diana cheered. The woman was once again in high spirits, now that her lungs were full of air and the unpleasant company was gone.

It took a moment for his powers to return, so he could finally warm himself up and get back to his feet. When he took stance once again, Kula joined him; perhaps she had to rest after using so much power?

Whatever the explanation, this fight once again turned hand-to-hand. Kyo lunged in with a wide punch to the stomach, but Kula threw a kick of extraordinary flexibility and clocked him in the chin. Her leg lifted so high, the tip of her foot actually touched her forehead.

Kyo had to shake away a few cobwebs after that one, but he came back forward and went with a combo, going once to the stomach then to the head. Kula took the body punch, but she parried his high strike and snapped his head back with a backhanded jab. The sting in his nose shot directly up to his tear ducts, producing a warm perspiration that turned his vision misty.

Kula pressed her body against him... and Kyo felt the most impossibly hard impact to his ribs, courtesy of her knuckles. Some way, somehow... despite having no arm room, Kula could generate enough power to damage him with a punch. It was a secret, special technique, known only by one other man... and a movie star.

As Kyo fell to his knees from that improbable one-inch punch, Kula sent him down the rest of the way with a roundhouse to the cheek.

"She's doing it... she's wearing him down...!" Mai exclaimed.

"Damn, Kula could actually win this..." Mary predicted.

Kyo got back up, spitting blood. With a growl, he put his fists up and beckoned Kula to come forward. The ice girl obliged.

Kula went to his ribs with a left kick. Although Kyo took the blow, he was able to bring his arm up and catch her foot before she could pull back to safety. Her leg was stuck in his grasp, preventing her from creating distance...

Kyo brought his right foot forward and swept her one stationary foot out from under her, causing her to fall to the ground, left leg still in his grasp. The fire man collapsed on top of her stomach with an elbow drop, burying the tip deep into her core.

"Auuuughk...!" Kula wheezed with pain as the air ejected from her.

Kyo rolled to safety as Kula struggled to get up, her stance a little shaky. Kyo didn't give her a second to recover, slamming the heel of his foot into her shin and buckling her knee.

"KYAAAAH!" A trail of flame flowed behind his foot as he leaped and caught her in the face with a spinning kick. His foot connected clean with her temple, sending her crashing to the ground hard.

"KULAAAAAAAAA!' Foxy and Diana screamed in unison.

"Augh... ungh..." Kula groaned as she pressed her fists against the ground, struggling to find the strength to lift her limp body. That last kick REALLY hurt her; she wasn't seeing straight right now. In fact, she might not even be sure where she was...

"You done now, kid?" Kyo asked, still in stance in case she did get back up.

But despite having her brains scrambled... Kula Diamond was not about to give up. She had the power to defeat Kyo Kusanagi: the gift that nobody else in the world had. It was a horrible gift, granted to her by a horrible organization... but it was still hers. She chose how to use it. And right now, she was making that choice: not to kill maliciously... but to achieve glory and the respect and admiration of people she liked and wanted to be friends with.

That's why Kyo had to lose.

"Ungh... you hit me too hard, Mr. Kusanagi." Kula groaned weakly, struggling back up to her feet.

"Then why don't we call this thing off, eh? I don't wanna hurt a cute girl like you anymore." Kyo tried to persuade.

But Kula just snickered. "Hee hee hee... but I'm not the one in trouble here. You see, I possess the power to put you on ice, Mr. Kusanagi. Your flames can't hurt me. But my ice can hurt you~"

That ominous message was followed by an intense, THUNDEROUS force of cold air blasting all around Kula. Her body was engulfed with a blue mist, so thick that eventually she was obscured altogether.

"What the..." Kyo hissed as he put his arms up to defend. His feet were literally skidding backwards... Kula had just summoned a truly terrific level of power.

"Oh my god, Kula...!" Diana gasped.

"What is she doing?" Foxy asked.

"...She's ending this."

The Coliseum suddenly got 100 times colder as a straight up blizzard was brewing in the combat zone. Snowflakes soared through the atmosphere, riding a current of frigid air that was onset by Kula's body which acted as a generator. Even the ground wasn't spared, as the combat zone turned into an ice rink with the earth encased in a thick sheet of bright blue ice.

"Holy shit... looks like a hockey game out there!" Benimaru gasped.

"Where's Kyo? I can't see him anywhere..." Goro worried.

"Hmph...I hate the f***ing cold." Iori scoffed.

Kyo looked all around him... and he saw nothing. The audience, the fighters... everything was blinded in this fearsome storm. It was just him out here: him... and her.

"OVER HERE~"

Before Kyo could pinpoint the voice, Kula slid into him and took him out at the legs. He hit he ground facefirst, but thankfully his forehead took the most force.

"Ungh... what the hell... hit me...?"

Kyo got back up and looked around: Kula was nowhere to be found. The ice was her element: her domain. She had the perfect camouflage, able to blend into the weather easily, while Kyo stood out like a bloody white tee.

"YOOHOOO~"

Kyo felt Kula plow into him again, this time from behind. He stumbled forward, the slippery ground preventing him from maintaining a solid stance. But that wasn't the worst of it: as quickly as she had assaulted him from behind, Kula came at him from the front and caught him square in the head with a flying kick.

"Agh! Jesus...!" Kyo cursed as he landed on his back, his eyes level with the obscured sky above. This was bad... Kula could hit him from anywhere she wanted. She had full mobility in this environment, where he had NONE.

"Where am I, Mr. Kusanagi?" Kula's voice echoed. "Trick question: I'm everywhere. I'm every snowflake, every grain of powder, every molecule of the chilly air around you. You can't touch me, but I can touch you as much as I want~"

"Grr... DON'T BE SO SURE OF YOURSELF!" Kyo yelled defiantly to the blizzard.

Kyo knew he had one chance of winning this thing... go to his roots. Go to what made Kyo "Kyo". He was the wielder of sacred fire, the pyro of righteousness. He possessed the holy Kusanagi might at his fingertips. The might that kept Orochi in check, that illuminated the world from all darkness. Kula may claim that his power won't work... but those are just words. The words only hold substance to the extent that Kyo allows them to influence him. There was no law in the universe that declares her words to be factual.

That's why he COULD use his powers. That's why he was going to. He was going to light up this ice storm, and melt it away. He was Kyo Kusanagi... the master of flame.

"GET READY TO SWEAT, KULA! HRRRRRRRRRRRAGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Kyo could feel it deep inside... yes... his body warming up. His blood rising in temperature, until it boiled in his vessels. His bones sizzling with warmth, reverberating through his skin until it scorched with burning passion. His hair stood up, his eyes glowing orange as smoke rose from his pores.

His body combusted, an explosion of fire spreading all around him until a column of the hottest, purest fire surrounded his being. It shot up to the sky above, piercing the thick veil Kula's mist had created and allowing the audience to finally catch a glimpse of things.

"Look, there he is. There's our guy!" Benimaru pointed.

"Heh... about time he turned up the heat." Iori smirked.

"Damn... he's more powerful than I could have ever imagined..." Diana cursed.

"Relax, Kula still has the advantage. She'll put out this hothead." Foxy reassured.

Kyo clenched his fist, as a tremendous gathering of energy formed inside it. He was putting everything: his entire being into this one blow. The buildup of fire was so huge, so prominent, that a fist-shaped outline appeared around his arm five times the size of an actual limb.

Now he had to wait... wait... and spot her.

...Was that her? A faint silhouette in the remaining mist... it was coming at him! It HAD to be her! Now was his chance!

"KULA! YOU'RE DONE!" Kyo roared as he took a deep lunge, fist drawn back with all the blazing might in his body... and he swung with explosive might.

POWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

The impact was so incredible, a massive exertion of heat blew the blizzard away in an instant. The mist dissipated, the ice melted... and the picture was clear: Kyo standing there, fist extended into the gut of Kula Diamond, who was stunned solid.

"U...u...ug...ugh...ughhhhhh...aghhhh..."

Kula collapsed like a melting snowman, the glow around her fading as she lay flat. Seconds later... her blue hair turned back blonde.

 **WINNER: KYO KUSANAGI**

"KULAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Kyo wisely distanced himself as Diana, Foxy and Candy surrounded her and scooped her up.

"Cough cough... D..Dia...na... is that you...?" Kula whispered softly.

"It's me, baby. I'm here." Diana's voice broke, holding Kula tight against her bosom. "Nobody's gonna hurt you as long as we're here."

"Diana... did I do... good...?"

"You did wonderful, Kula. We're so proud of you." Foxy smiled, reaching over to stroke her hair.

"Ungh... agh... I wanna see Candy..."

"She's right here."

Diana let go of Kula and allowed her to collapse in Candy Diamond's arms. The robot hugged her tight, Kula's face against her neck.

"Oh Candy... I'm so tired..." Kula groaned. "Please hold me while I sleep..."

With those last words, Kula passed out in Candy's arms. The robot scooped her up bridal style and carried her away, Foxy and Diana following behind her.

In the stands, everyone still around welcomed Kyo with open arms and cheered. Benimaru, Daimon, Terry, Ramon, Seth... the only two that wanted nothing to do with him were K' and Iori. Iori obviously would never be caught dead showing any positive feelings towards Kyo.

And K'... his heart hurt with a deep sorrow upon seeing Kula be defeated. But more than that, he was angry at himself for being too weak to cheer for her out loud. Perhaps he was feeling responsible for her defeat.

With a depressed sigh, K' put his hands in his pockets and slinked away from the Coliseum.

"THAT CONCLUDES AN AWESOME DAY OF FIGHTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Chizuru yelled into the microphone. "Come back tomorrow for Round 2! But for tonight, be sure to visit the hotel for post-fight interviews, autographs, pictures, and a special banquet to celebrate the Round 1 winners!"

"Welp, that's it. Let's call it a day." Terry declared, putting an arm around Mary. The two of them walked off, many fighters following behind. There weren't many still around, as more than half had been admitted to the hospital. Luckily, Chizuru had provided the local hospital with sophisticated medical supplies to aid in their recovery. Most of them would be fine by tonight... hopefully...

 **And that's it for Round 1. I won't lie, I'm feeling the fatigue. This chapter really wasn't my best work. I feel like I can do better. That's why this is the chance to take a breath and reset; I promise to step it up in Round 2 and deliver you the highest quality fights possible. But, since you guys are the judges of that, I can't say for certain that promise will be kept ; )**

 **Be forewarned... from here on out, the kid gloves come off. People are going to lose. And you are going to CARE about those losses. You know why? Because you watched them all win at least once. You forged a bond with them through victory, and now half of them must go away. See? There's a method to the madness that was having 80 characters : D**

 **Art of Fighting: Ryo, Robert, Yuri, Kasumi, King**

 **Fatal Fury: Terry, Andy, Joe, Mai, Hwa Jai, Geese, Krauser, Mary, Yamazaki, Kim, Billy, Chonrei**

 **World Heroes: Captain Kidd, Hanzo, Ryoko, Dio**

 **King of Fighters: Kyo, Benimaru, Goro, Brian Battler, Athena, Heidern, Ralf, Iori, Leona, Rugal, K', Vanessa, Ramon, Ash, Elisabeth, Duo Lon, Oswald, Shingo**

 **NeoGeo Battle Coliseum: Yuki**

 **Next Chapter: Post-fight shenanigans and preparations for ROUND 2!**


	15. Chapter 15: Post-Round 1

**Enjoy this little break from the action. We both need it lol.**

Every single contestant, regardless of the extent of their injuries, was required to receive a final medical evaluation at the hospital. This was mandatory, lest they lose their entry card.

Once they arrived at the hospital, any immediate injuries were tended to and they were prescribed pain-killers to take before going to bed. By the time they woke up in the morning, most of them would be ready for Round 2. But, as with any tournament... none of them would be 100% going forward. This was just the harsh reality of combat sports. All Chizuru could do was give them the best treatment she had to offer, and their own strength and will would carry them the rest of the way.

Though it was an annoyance for several of them, especially people who were completely unharmed like K' and Iori, many of the fighters didn't mind being forced to go to the hospital. They took this opportunity to visit their friends, who had fought hard and were defeated or were injured in the midst of victory. Most of them were recovering quite well... but a few fighters here and there had some more serious injuries.

"Miss King... you have multiple fractured ribs." the doctor diagnosed, a look of concern on his face as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I see..." King hung her head down. Ryo was sitting next to her, his arm wrapped around her in support.

"Because Geese threatened all the doctors, I'm obligated to clear you." the medical professional continued. "However, as a human being... I strongly advise against competing tomorrow."

Her first inclination was to look at Ryo, and get his word on the matter. As expected... his message was one of protection.

"King, you should drop out." Ryo softly stated. "If you fight tomorrow, you'll get ripped apart..."

"I'm not a quitter, Ryo. You know that." King stubbornly responded.

"This is not about being a quitter. It's about being smart." Ryo argued. "You're gonna be in a world of pain if you take a bad hit to the body!"

"Then I'll protect my body." King smiled. Ryo's brow furrowed, but she cleared up his sour face with a kiss on the cheek.

"King..."

"Don't worry about me, okay? I'm a fighter. Fighters tough it out through any adversity."

With a taking of his hand, no more words needed to be shared. A silent understanding was established between these two fighters-turned-lovers. The message was clear in each of them: a vow to keep moving forward, no matter the personal risk. Ryo knew she wouldn't change her mind, just like she knew Ryo wouldn't stop her.

"...Let's get out of here." Ryo broke the silence, squeezing her hand tight. With a responsive smile, King allowed him to lead her out of the hospital room and the two went off to visit others.

In another hospital room, another moderately injured fighter was receiving treatment... in the best way possible.

"Say ahhhhhh~"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Kensou opened wide as the giggling Athena fed him a constant stream of rice, courtesy of a pair of chopsticks. He turned his head while he chewed, as he had to chew with his mouth open on account of the steaming hot meal.

"Ha ha ha! What's the matter, too hot? Okay...I'll blow on it~"

As Kensou swallowed his food, he looked over at her with a smile. "Athena... you're spoiling me rotten, babe."

"Don't call me babe." Athena smirked. "Don't make me hurt you worse."

"Alright, alright, sorry..." Kensou chuckled awkwardly.

Their silly little moment was followed by a moment of solemn silence, as Athena smiled warmly and continued shoveling food into his mouth. Kensou continued to diligently chew... and the whole time he couldn't take his gaze from that smile. That beautiful, warm, uplifting smile... one that he would do anything to never lose.

"Athena..." Kensou broke the silence. "Do you think I'm a loser?"

Athena held off on her next scoop. "Huh? Where did this come from?"

"Tch, you know! I... I lost and you won and... gah... you're better than me as usual..." Kensou mumbled, looking away embarrassed.

Athena set down the chopsticks and smiled. "Oh Kensou, it's okay to be bitter about losing. But cmon... you don't have to be so hard on yourself. I'm not 'better' than you, okay? Don't say that stuff."

"It's just not fair!" Kensou whined. "This was my big chance to really do something amazing and impress you, and I screwed it up! Now, as usual, I have to support you from the sidelines while you go on and achieve victory... it's just embarassing to lose all the time. I feel like... I don't deserve your respect..."

Athena remained silent, as she knew this was only part 1 of Kensou's ranting. Her smile faded, her face turning to a more sympathetic one. Of course, that didn't last long when Kensou continued...

"Dammit, I do everything to try and wow you and I always mess up! Gah! I was so close to beating freaking Krauser! I could taste it! Why couldn't I just win?! I felt the power coursing through me! I was sure I had him!"

Athena's sympathetic face slowly faded to one of annoyance.

"Why can't I ever just be on par with you, Athena?! Am I destined to always be in your shadow? How are you ever going to admire me when I always screw up in the most important moments! Gah, I wish I could go back out there and fight again. I wish I could turn back time, then I know I would-"

"Kensou. Shut up."

Kensou paused. "E-eh?!"

Athena leaned in close, her face inches away from his. "You're ruining your credibility."

"I...I... I'm wha...?"

"Stop talking... before I change my mind about this."

"...?"

Athena gently ran her hand down the side of his face, before bringing the other hand up to cup his cheek. Simultaneously, she pulled his face towards hers... and moved her lips forward to meet his.

"Mmmmm...ph?"

Kensou's eyes shot open, his eyelids nearly ripping. The moment was so sudden, so unexpected... he almost forgot to savor the taste of the soft lips he had sought after so many years. He wasn't sure what this was... a kiss of pity? A declaration of the love he had strove towards for so long? Just a sick joke? Whatever it was... he liked it.

Athena deepened the kiss for the slightest of moments; a final present before slowly pulling apart... their lips separating with a wet smooching sound.

And just like that... Kensou's moment in heaven had expired.

"There. Are you happy now?" Athena asked, still staring into his eyes with her face close.

"Athena... wh...what was..." Kensou stammered, his lips less than functional, nearly paralyzed by the magic of Athena's kiss still lingering on them.

"You made my heart race out there, Kensou." she interrupted. "What you did against Krauser... it was amazing. I know you were thinking of me when you unleashed that power... and it moved me. It took my breath away. That kiss is for you, as a thank you for making me feel that way watching you. So... thank you."

Kensou reached a trembling hand up, to touch his still-numb lips. He didn't know how to feel right now. Finally, after so long... he had achieved his greatest ambition. But it wasn't real... Athena didn't love him. She was just showing him gratitude for his incredible display of passion. Despite this, it was a certain... comfort... knowing it wasn't love. It drove him to open his mouth again; it drove him to pursue this, and take everything he could. It didn't have to be real... and that made him grow bold.

"You're welcome, Athena. But I'd be happier if I could have more of you." Kensou coolly responded.

Athena leaned back, her cheeks turning slightly flushed. "A-are you taking advantage of me?!"

Kensou smiled. "Yes, I am. I faced down Krauser for you, Athena. Your kiss is sweet on my lips... but it's not enough to appease me. You know how I feel about you, and I know how I made you feel out there. So, what do you say... we act on those emotions? I know you don't love me... it doesn't have to mean anything. Let's call it a spontaneous outburst of passion!"

SMACK!

The end result of Kensou's strange request was him flat on the hospital bed, a huge red mark on his rapidly-swelling cheek.

"I can't believe you." Athena facepalmed. "I kiss you out of the kindness of my heart, I give you an inch, and you try to go a mile! You... you... you're an idiot. And... I'm an idiot too..."

Kensou rose back up, massaging his cheek. "...Why are you an idiot?"

Athena sighed, her cheeks flaring up. "Because... I'm considering it..."

This time, Kensou played his cards right. He didn't say a damn WORD... he just swallowed the spit in his throat and tried to stifle the rapid beat of his excited heart. He held his breath... he would say or do nothing else to potentially ruin this. He couldn't believe he was about to seal this deal...

...And finally, Athena opened her mouth again.

"You can stay with me tonight."

Kensou shut his eyes as tight as possible, taking the deepest breath he possibly could. It was all he could do to avoid screaming with triumph. At this moment, he silently prayed Athena would walk out of the room, and ease his suffering...

"...I'm gonna go check on the others, kay? Bye Kensou."

With a wink and a smile, Athena disappeared behind the door and shut it. She rested her back against it on the other side for a few moments, just so she could hear that inevitable outburst...

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Throughout the hospital, other victorious fighters were reunited with their loved ones who suffered defeat. Yuki, who had quickly returned to the hospital after the final fights, was relieved to see Ai in great spirits. She was provided with a bath at the hospital, so she no longer looked like she took a swim in a pool of charcoal.

"Heh... cute hospital gown." Yuki teased, his eyes sneaking a peek behind.

"H-hey! It was mandatory." Ai grumbled, looking away embarrassed. She covered up, as the gown was flashing her backside pretty fierce.

"You scared me pretty bad out there, Ai. That kid was such a creep! I can't believe he hit you with such a huge fireball."

"Ah well, at least I'm still breathing~" Ai winked. "And at least you're still in the tournament. I'd much rather support you from the sidelines anyway. You're a much better fighter than me."

Yuki chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "Aw, you did fine out there Ai. You just had a bad opponent is all."

"Whatevs. Can we get out of here already? I've been itching to play some Fatal Fury Special, and I want to get back in my own clothes."

Yuki playfully rolled his eyes. "Well, get dressed then! We have another party to go to anyway."

"Awwwwww another?!" Ai pouted.

"Heh... yeah. Sorry I had to go and WIN, heh heh heh..."

"Tch! Jerk!" Ai stuck her tongue out.

 **INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)**

Three Ikari Warriors tasted victory in Round 1... but at what cost? Victory, in the end, turned bittersweet... as one of their comrades-in-arms was now lying in bed, barely keeping it together. Clark Still, for all his toughness and endurance, was helpless as he lay in bed hooked up to every tube and machine possible to survive the dreadful Genocide Cutter.

And at his side, all of them stood. Leona hung her head, eyes closed. Whip gently stroked his head with a rag, wiping the cold sweat away from his shuddering face. Ralf sat by his bedside, clutching his hand tight in a way that only two brothers who had seen the bloodiest combat together could. Out of everybody, obviously this was hitting him the worst.

"Clark... you gotta get through this, man. We've been through too much shit together for you to clock out now." Ralf whispered softly. He was 80% sure Clark couldn't hear him... but Ralf needed to get these words out. Even if Ralf himself was the only one to hear them, they still needed to be said.

"He's gonna make it, Ralf." Whip repied softly. "Chizuru promised."

"He'd better... or I'll break the neck of whoever let that FREAK in this tournament." Ralf growled. For a man stricken with such grief, it was easy to switch between sorrow and anger at a moment's notice.

The only man who was not at Clark's side was Heidern himself. The tall commander had his back turned, head pressed against the windowsill. His face wore not sorrow, nor anger, nor remorse... just that usual, painful stoicism he was forced to maintain in front of his men. Right now, he wanted to break down... he wanted to scream, cry, curse the heavens above with all the breath in his lungs.

...But that wasn't Heidern. Heidern couldn't afford to be that. He had to distinguish himself among others, command the compliance and respect of his peers. For that reason... he couldn't even look at Clark. If he saw his comrade's stitched up abdomen, witnessed the horrid repetitive movements of his respirator... he knew he would lose it.

Without a glance in their direction, Heidern straightened his stance, hands behind his back... and his boots clacked all the way to the exit. The door shut behind him, leaving behind not even the slightest acknowledgement of the current situation.

"...Commander..." Leona uttered that one word with a heavy heart.

 **LATER THAT EVENING...**

The turnout for this hotel party was a lot weaker than the pre-fight party. Many, many of the fighters didn't bother showing up, either because they were already eliminated, or because they were too hurt and tired to put forth the effort. Despite this, a huge crowd did gather to interact with those who DID show.

Some fighters, more responsible and understanding of their popularity and the obligations it created, fulfilled their duty and showed up. Japan Team, the Bogards, Joe, Mai, Mary, the Sakazakis, Robert, Athena... and several others. They knew they were the face of King of Fighters, and the party would be dead without them... which would make Chizuru very upset. And an upset Chizuru was something nobody wanted to deal with.

"Hee hee hee... mmmmmmm... tell me more about your mighty vessel~"

This sultry, giggling voice was courtesy of Bonne Jenet, who was leaned over the table, her cleavage nearly bursting from her dress. Her enthralled eyes were almost drunkenly fixated on the charisma and excellence of Captain Kidd, who sat across from her with a bottle of rum in his hand.

"Ha! Tis a glorious vessel, not of the sea... but of the very air." he boasted, pointing to the ceiling to indicate his point.

"Wow! A flying ship! So incredible, Captain~" Jenet cooed, her starstruck eyes widening as she leaned even FURTHER over. It seemed that with each word from his mouth, Captain Kidd had the woman even deeper in his alluring spell.

"It pleases me to see someone who appreciates the efficiency and brilliance of such an apparatus." Captain Kidd grinned wide, taking another huge swig of rum.

"Can I see it? PLEEEEEEEEEASE~?" that last word was painfully drawn out, with every sultry bone in her body.

"Of course you can, madame. I'll give you the grand tour." Kidd smiled. "But first! MORE GROG FOR THE LADY!"

"Um.. uhh... y-you know I'm not sure I'm old enough to drink rum... tee hee..."

"Ha! You're a pirate aren't you? You sail no colors, therefore you're not bound by the laws of any country."

"Whoa... great point~!"

Elsewhere, the party carried on at a slow, soporific, rather bland pace. If the women hadn't shown up, the crowd probably would have left. Thank god for Mai...

"CHIZURU! HEY CHIZURU, COME HERE!" Mai eagerly waved, trying to flag down the weary host as she walked by. Thankfully, Chizuru was in the neighborhood and she managed to catch the center of attention out of the corner of her eye.

"Come take a picture with us!"

Mai had gathered them all: King, Yuri, Kasumi Todoh, Li Xiangfei, even Blue Mary and May Lee for their minute appearances. The only one who couldn't make it was one-time member Hinako, who never showed up in Italy for some reason.

When Chizuru saw that lovely, wonderful congregation of one of the most iconic teams in King of Fighters history... her enervated face lit up and she sprinted over there.

"Don't take it without me!"

Kagura nudged her way into the group, who all surrounded her with welcome arms. Mai, Yuri, and King stood at the center, appropriately, with Kasumi and Chizuru flanking the left and right. Finally, Mary, May Lee and Xiangfei rounded it out.

Duck King was working the camera. "Alright, all you lovely ladies SMIIIIIIIILE!"

"That camera looks a little low there, Duck." Mai teased. "What EXACTLY are you pointing at, hmmmm?"

"Sh-shut up Mai!" Duck stammered, ever-subtly aiming the camera a few inches back up and hoping they wouldn't notice.

The Women's Team all stood together, like a happy family, flashing their pearly whites... except for Mary. Showing teeth wasn't really her style.

"Okay, ready? ONE... TWO... THREE!"

CLICK!

The picture would be an instant classic: a gathering of the lovely ladies of King of Fighters's rich history. The Women's Team... a symbolic team that inspired confidence and empowerment in the hearts of women everywhere. These ladies were the pillar of strength for the female race.

"Women's Team Never Die. That's gonna be the caption~" Yuri happily exclaimed.

"...Just make lots of copies." Chizuru requested with a smile. "I want one for my scrapbook."

"Come here, you guys." King enticed them with open arms.

The women all gathered around for one big hug, before the group finally broke up and went back to their business. Chizuru was grateful for this moment: that small, precious little minute to let out a breath and get away from it all. Alas, such moments were never meant to last...

While the women were having fun laughing and giggling, the men had gathered around for a social drink. The gruff, cool-headed, macho regulars were all sitting around a round table together: Kyo, Beni, Goro, Terry, Andy, Joe, Ryo, Robert... and even Iori Yagami himself had come along for the fun.

"Gentlemen... to a well-fought Round 1." Kyo toasted, raising his glass.

"Amen to that!" Benimaru seconded, his glass joining his friend's in the air.

"May we live to kick 100 more asses!" Ryo boasted.

"1000, my friend. Don't think so narrow." Robert grinned.

"Give it a rest. What is this, a cheesy movie?" Iori taunted.

A moment of silence was enjoyed, as they all tilted their glasses back and let loose the alcoholic contents down their throat. With a sequential, almost rhythmic setting down of the empty glasses and the refreshed sighs that followed, the men all remained to shoot the breeze and talk of current events.

"So... tell me again what happened with Rugal." Kyo requested, as he was not present when it happened.

"What more is there to know?!" Iori spat. "That motherf***er came out of nowhere and f***ed up Clark!"

"...And you guys are sure he's supposed to be dead?" Terry asked.

"Oh he's dead alright. Very dead." Kyo replied. "It's impossible to come back from what happened to him."

"Then obviously some mad scientists have been screwing around with clones again." Joe chimed in.

"Ugh... but who would want to make a clone of that pompous asshole?" Benimaru complained.

"NESTS is the best guess." Goro answered swiftly.

"I thought that K' kid and his boys destroyed NESTS for good." Andy argued.

"Well, obviously he did a piss poor job." Iori fired back. "And next time, someone should come to me if they want a proper lesson on how to f***ing wipe some assholes from existence."

"You had the chance to destroy NESTS and you didn't. So what are you complaining about?" Kyo accused.

"Hey, it wasn't my f***ing problem at the time, okay? It was more your problem, if anything." Iori scoffed.

"Well, the fact remains that once again... King of Fighters has been corrupted by some evil-scheming bullshit." Kyo sighed. As he said those words, the man couldn't help but bring his thumb and forefinger up to massage his annoyed brow.

"Ughhhhhhhhh... I can't properly measure how TIRED I am of this bullshit. Just once, JUST ONCE, I'd like to participate in a King of Fighters and not have to deal with evil organizations trying to wreck the world. I've had my fill of it. Seriously."

"So what? You gonna drop out?" Terry asked.

"Hell no, he's not." Iori abruptly answered.

"Well said... for once in your life, Yagami." Kyo teased.

"Eat my ass."

"Look guys, it's just one man right?" Andy tried to encourage. "We can handle one little problem. I mean, Rugal has been defeated in the past. This won't be any different."

"Except this Rugal isn't bound by human limitations." Ryo informed.

"Tch, like that's ever been breaking news." Robert snarked. "Look, this Rugal is in a tournament with 39 of the best fighters in the world. Geese, Krauser... hell, any one of us sitting at this table is capable of beating Rugal on our worst day."

"Heh, why don't you go fight him then?" Benimaru taunted.

"R-right now?"

"Yeah."

"...I'm good."

Robert clammed up after that, just looking down at his empty glass, watching the ice melt from his embarassment flaring up.

After about 50 seconds of silence passed, it was clear to all of them that the conversation had officially died. They all had a mutual understanding that there was no need to sit here and try to rustle up small talk; their business was concluded. Now came the awkward part of trying to find an excuse to leave...

Iori obviously didn't have that problem. "Welp, f*** this. Goodbye."

Terry shot a few glances over to Mary, hoping to silently get her attention and let her know he wanted to leave. Finally, the blonde got the message; with a smile she beckoned Terry over to her.

"Well fellas, a certain someone is calling my name. Take care, guys. Rest up for tomorrow."

With a wave, the polite Bogard rose from the table and took Mary's arm as the two exited the party. This pace continued, as the men slowly dissipated one by one.

"Cmon Robbie! This party's dead."

"Oh Andyyyyyyyyy... I have a promise to keep~"

"Hey Ryo... I'm ready for bed, sweetie."

They dropped like flies, courtesy of their women whom they were bound to. But for the ones who weren't lucky enough to have that... they were still stuck there. Kyo, Benimaru, the married Goro, and Joe were still sitting around saying nothing. Thankfully, it was a little easier to dismiss oneself when there's just four people sitting around.

"Well fellas, it's been a day. See ya. I got some beauty sleep to catch up on." Joe stated before excusing himself from the table.

"That's my line!" Beni laughed.

When all was said and done, the Japan Team were the last ones sitting there. Beni and Goro wanted to leave too... but Kyo's face was stopping them. Their beloved team captain was just sitting there, lips curled downwards, staring into his nearly-empty glass. The ice had well-melted, leaving just a little puddle of water in its wake. And Kyo just stared at it... stared... his face almost like that of defeat.

"Kyo, man... you don't look so good." Benimaru uttered words of concern.

"I'm not." Kyo responded, his eyes closing. "I'm tired of it all... I wish Kula had won."

With those unsettling words, Kyo dismissed himself from the table and exited the party.

That night, pretty much all the fighters were snug in their beds. All of them got a good night's sleep, after the grueling combat they endured earlier that day. Thankfully, nobody was on concussion protocol, so it was lights out for all of them.

 **ROOM 503**

K' allowed Kula to sleep in the same bed with him once again that night. Partially because she had already done it once, therefore there was no excuse for him refusing her a second time. But the main reason was sympathy; Kula took losing pretty rough after she woke up, and Diana and Foxy could only offer so many consoling words. In the end, they offered to have Kula stay with them, but she strongly voiced her desire to seek comfort in K's consoling arms. Which was weird... since K' sucks at cheering people up. Obviously Kula saw something in him that nobody else did.

"Remind me again why you want to sleep with me?" K' grumbled as Kula nuzzled her face against his chest. She placed one arm tenderly on his shoulder... and the other arm draped over his torso.

"Cmon K'... you act like it's a terrible thing~" Kula mumbled softly, her face pressed against him stifling her voice.

"Whatever. Just remember the golden rule: no talky."

"I'm still talkiiiiiiiing~"

"Guh."

Kula giggled for a second or two before the noise died down and the only sounds in the room were Maxima's soft snoring, and the breathing of K' and Kula. The ice girl was snug on top of him, her body scrunched up against his like he was a cocoon of warmth. The covers were pulled tight over them, obscuring everything from the neck down.

"Hey K'...?"

"Jeez, Kula... what is it?"

"Do you think I'm a big fat loser? You do, don't you? You must be so embarrassed to have me as a friend..."

K' let out a partial sigh. "Kula, cmon... I don't think that. Hey, Maxima's dumb ass lost too. I'm still friends with him right?"

"R-right..."

"So? You're no different."

"You promise?"

"Sigh... yes..."

The silence resumed as they lay there. K' wasn't sure Kula was content... but he knew for a fact HE wasn't. He knew, deep down, there were still words to say. Even if Kula happily drifted off, K' would probably lose sleep if he didn't clear himself of his baggage.

"The truth is, Kula... dammit, I should have supported you better."

These words actually made Kula lift her head up, her bright red eyes staring at him. "Huh? Weren't you rooting for me?"

K' grit his teeth for a second and sucked in air, before resuming.

"I was rooting for you... but I didn't cheer for you like I should have. I was embarrased and kept my mouth shut..."

"Why were you embarrassed?"

"B... Because I like you a lot, okay? Damn."

K' looked carefully at Kula's face; he noticed a tiny, faint little glimmer of red start to form on each cheek.

"You like... me...?"

K' looked away, his embarrassment at it's peak. "Tch...gr...gh...hrm... yes. It's been... nice, okay? You sitting at the Coliseum with me, staying at the hotel with me. I've enjoyed it. I've had fun here in Italy thanks to you. If you weren't here... grr... gh... gh...ah... I probably would bail."

Kula had no words in response; her gaze just stayed fixated on his. Right now, K' wanted to just leap out of bed, and sprint for his life; he couldn't believe he said that! She was probably going to tell everyone now... gah, if only he could rewind a few minutes...

...But his heart started instinctively pumping when he saw her eyes subtly shift downwards to his lips. He took a big gulp... he knew what she was thinking. This was about to happen. Yep... her face was getting closer, those mesmerizing ruby eyes growing larger and larger in his field of vision...

...And her lips softly touched his.

It wasn't a long kiss; maybe about 5 seconds or so she held her lips there. But what lasted only 5 seconds would feel like an eternal flame burning on his skin, that kiss permanently branded on his person. It was his first, and her first, and it was sickeningly beautiful. It was like a damn romance novel that K' would, on any given day, burn to ash in his grasp.

Before he could even begin to recover from Kula's kiss, the ice girl lowered her head back on his chest and got comfy once again.

"Mmm... can you put your arms around me, K'?"

He laid there, eyes paralyzed, only capable of looking forward, impossible to close. His body was completely stiff... the fact that he managed to lift his arms up and wrap them around her meant that he was completely on auto-pilot.

"Haaah... thanks K', Goodnight~"

As he lay there, statue-like, shocked eyes still unmoving... his awestruck lips managed to produce an almost unintelligible:

"Ggniithhte..."

 **PENTHOUSE SUITE**

"WINNER'S PARTYYYYYYYYYY~"

Ash cackled like a kid on the playground as he kicked his bare feet up and folded his arms behind his head. All around him was... some kind of monstrosity he whipped up in the bedroom.

"Sorry Shenny boy, but me and Ozzy built a fort with all the bedsheets and pillows and you can't come in! No losers allowed! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!"

Oswald, who was down for whatever, lay prone a couple feet to Ash's left underneath the huge bedsheet fort, his chin pressed against a soft pillow under him. Maybe he was already asleep; it was hard to tell because of the glasses.

Meanwhile, on his bed which had been stripped clean, an annoyed Shen grumbled.

"So what? Who needs your lame-ass kiddie fort? I'm gonna sleep on a real bed like an ADULT!"

Ash shot a devious smirk at him. "Spoken like someone who's sore about all his friends winning and him LOSING. Poor little Shenny, all by his lonesome in the losers circle~"

"SHUT. UP!"

Shen Woo's lamenting and Ash's teasing came to a halt when there was a knock at the door. It opened a second later... and it was none other than Duo Lon. He was dressed casual for once: a white t-shirt and black shorts. This surprised and amused the hell out of Ash.

"Monsieur Duoooooooooo! Come to join the winners club have you? Come! Allez, allez! There's plenty of room under here~"

Duo put a hand on his hip. His lips fought against it... but he couldn't help but smile at that eccentric kid and his absurd shenanigans.

"I'll pass. But I wouldn't mind a soak in your hot tub."

Ash's eyes lit up. "Well far be it from me to deny a fellow winner! Come! What's mine is yours~"

The reason for Duo's casual attire was revealed, as he removed his shirt and fired up Ash's hot tub. Lowering himself into the rapidly heating water, he let out a sigh of relief as his muscles loosened.

"Ungh... so how did you get this room anyway?"

"Whatever do you mean, Monsieur Lon? You know I always get what I want." Ash teased. "So tell me, how's Betty? You seen her tonight?"

"Ah, she's the same. She won't talk to anybody. She won't loosen up. She's not having the least bit fun."

Ash's smiled faded. "Hm... typical Betty..."

"You know man, I think if you talked to her, she might lighten up a little. She's been worried about you the whole time."

Ash shrugged. "Sorry, I don't have the integrity to survive an encounter with the Mademoiselle tonight. I simply don't feel like dealing with her nagging and yelling."

Duo let out a tiny scoff. "Well... can't fault you for that."

"I guess she still thinks I'm going to do something horrible to that Athena girl. I don't know why she's freaking out so much. I... it's not like I attacked Kagura and Yagami out of pure greed. I needed their power to end Saiki... d-didn't I?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Duo responded.

"I... I don't know."

Suddenly, it seemed like Ash had lost his playful demeanor. Duo shot a glance at him; Ash's face had changed completely, from the usual cockiness and exuberance to a more... unsure face. It was almost as if some humongous conundrum had just entered his brain, and was putting his mental and emotional capacity hard at work.

"Well, did you enjoy having power?" Duo opened. "That's what you have to ask yourself."

Ash raised his hand, glancing deep into his palm, as if exploring his inner self. "W-well... yes... I did. I enjoyed it very much."

"Well, there you go then. That's why Elisabeth is so scared of you. That's a dangerous mindset to have." Duo replied.

"...I see."

"The way she sees it, you're going after Athena for no reason than your own personal gain. You don't have a scapegoat like Saiki to fall back on. This time, you're just doing it to do it."

"So that's what you thought of Those From the Past as... just a scapegoat to justify my greed?" Ash fired back.

"It doesn't matter what I think." Duo replied calmly. "Only you know the truth, Ash. So make up you mind. Are you a power-hungry monger... or something else?"

"...Can't I be more complicated than that?" Ash pouted.

"It doesn't get any more complicated."

"Aw... tch... Monsieur Lon... you got me feeling all yucky now."

"Well sor-RY. But you're the one who asked about Elisabeth." Duo smirked.

Ash sighed and laid flat against the pillow. "Hm... then I guess I have some thinking to do."

 **I'm pretty sure Bonne Jenet IS legal to drink rum by UK and Italy law... but I had to do that pirate scene lol. It was too good to pass up.**

 **Hinako is one of those characters I just completely left out. I really had no place for her, because I don't give a crap about her. I guess she could've had a Sumo match with Temjin...? I dunno. Screw her.**

 **Welp, since my word count skyrockets and I don't want to overwhelm you.. we'll pick this up next week, kay?**

 **NEXT CHAPTER: More Geese/Chizuru arguing. Heidern tries to take matters into his own hands. New faces appear. Lots of exciting stuff. Stay tuned for Post-fight Part 2!**


	16. Chapter 16: Heidern's Choice

**There's really no easy way to say this... this chapter will piss you off a little. By the end, you'll be saying "What was the point?!" But it's my choice, and I'm sticking to it. Feel free to hold nothing back in the reviews ; )**

 **I had so much fun writing this. One of my fav chapters of this story. Enjoy.**

In the blackest of night, one figure was still wide awake: a man on a mission. A man who once had the most precious things in his life taken from him by ONE person: a monster who marked him for eternity, to always carry the shame and disgrace of being helpless to oppose him.

Heidern's boots resonated against the sidewalk, the loud clack echoing into the night. His long legs carried him quickly and with a purpose: to visit the man who can make things right. He was going to see none other than...

"Heidern!"

The commander stopped when he heard his name called out, a female voice the source. He slowly turned and was met with the eager legs of Chizuru Kagura approaching him quickly.

"Are you going to see Geese?" she asked, panting from the effort of catching up to the commander's rapid footsteps.

Heidern's only response was a slight nod, his face still unchanging from the cold stare of a man scorned.

"Good. I'm going with you." Chizuru replied. "He's staying at another hotel down the street. Let's take a cab."

Heidern wasn't in the mood to entertain company, but he knew all too well the importance of manpower. With Chizuru watching his back, this meeting with the likes of Geese Howard would hopefully go much smoother.

Still saying nothing, Heidern extended a beckoning hand, a silent consent to Chizuru joining him on this secret mission. With a nod, Chizuru walked alongside him as they made their way down the street at this late hour to hopefully find transportation.

When at last they did manage to get a ride, an opportunity arose for Chizuru to break the ice about this whole thing. She didn't WANT to strike up such a personal conversation with Heidern, but anything was better than sitting here in awkward silence. Plus, it was better for her to know just where his mind was at right now before they made it to Geese...

"I know what Rugal took from you."

Heidern's face stayed glued to the window, his cold eye staring at the passing streetlights, as if trying to ignore those words with every ounce of his soul. But it was impossible; those words stung him deep, even to this day. They were words he couldn't escape from, even when he thought closure was finally a reality.

"...Then you know why I have to kill him." Heidern finally responded.

"Heidern... think about what you're saying." Chizuru softly warned. "If you try to fight that thing, you'll lose your life."

"Then I'll take him with me. His soul can rot in Hell, while I finally join my family again in happiness."

"He doesn't have a soul! Don't you get it? He's not real!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Heidern's voice finally lost its composure, so loud it made the vehicle rattle.

Chizuru winced slightly, both from the loudness... and from his gaze penetrating her. That eye... it carried such fury inside it. Such pain... such dark emotions. It was a horrifying gaze he instilled upon her: one that showed every inch of his agony and torture. It made it stand out almost as clear as the green beret on his head.

"That thing still wears his face." Heidern continued, his voice back to its normal gravel. "As long as that face exists... I can never sleep. I can see it now... haunting me... teasing me... reminding me that I was too weak to protect the ones I love..."

"Heidern." Chizuru whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Your family is resting in peace. Rugal is long dead... please try to understand. You can't let this shorten your lifespan. They wouldn't want you to die before living a full life. You've got men depending on you."

"And one of my men is mortally wounded thanks to that thing." Heidern responded. "You're not going to change my mind, Chizuru. I'm re-killing Rugal... with or without your consent."

Chizuru's face turned stern. "We shall see."

The cab arrived at its destination, leaving Heidern and Chizuru to press forward on foot. As they walked by the receptionist, Chizuru took point.

"Follow me. His suite is on the top floor."

As they walked towards their destination, both had the same mindset; they were silently reciting their words, preparing the script to unleash when they burst through that door. But each were also conscious of the other: would he try to interrupt her? Would she try to stop him? Would they have conflicting ideals, leading to a clash of interests with Geese in the middle? If they couldn't come together with a consensus... then how could they ever stand a diplomatic chance with Geese Howard?

"This is it." Chizuru declared, as they stopped in front of his door. "Are you ready?"

"You should ask yourself that." Heidern responded, his hands behind his back and posture upright.

With a nod, Chizuru took a deep breath... and brought her fist against the wood.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

They stood there with anticipation and anxiety, seconds ticking away that the door went unanswered. Was he even in there? They could hear a sound, like faint music... maybe he was training and ignoring them...

However, this turned out to not be the case, as the door finally opened.

The first thing they were blasted with was a thick screen of cigar smoke. It hit them dead on, directly into their lungs, their eyes watering from the smog-like sensation. And from that uncomfortable haze emerged Billy Kane, his face annoyed upon seeing who it was.

"Oi! What do you blokes want? We're 'avin a social gathering in here."

"I need to see-"

"I need to see Geese." Heidern interrupted her.

Billy looked at Heidern, then Chizuru, then back to Heidern... his eyebrow slightly twitched as he let out an annoyed sigh.

"Gah... I'll see if he's up for anymore company."

The door shut, leaving them there once again in the throes of anxiety. This could turn ugly very fast, and they both knew it; obviously they weren't going to leave, so if push came to shove they'd have to force their way in. Neither one felt like doing that... it was far too late in the hour for that shit.

Thankfully, their audience was granted; the door swung open fully this time and Billy gave them a beckoning gesture.

"Come in."

When the two entered the suite, it became apparent that Geese was indeed having some kind of gathering. In his room resided perhaps the most motley crew of vagrants ever to be gathered under one roof.

Billy plopped back onto the couch, bottle of gin in his hand pouring a fresh glass. Sitting properly at the mini-bar was Krauser himself, a lager firmly in his grasp which he tilted to the ceiling and downed.

As they ventured deeper into the suite, they began to notice the abundance of women venturing through the smoke. They were dressed... less than modest. One sat down on the couch next to Billy, while two flanked Krauser's left and right. The men didn't seem really interested though; obviously the women were brought here by someone with a knack for harems.

That certain man's presence was finally revealed, not only as the source of the women... but the cigar smoke as well. Sitting with one leg folded over the other, a fat Cuban one hanging from his lip, Mr. Big seemed intensely focused on what was going on directly in front of him. In his hand was a wad of cash, probably a bet placed on the wrestling match happening before his eyes.

"UNDERHOOKS, YOU IDIOT! GET YOUR ARMS UNDER HER!" he barked to the brunette clad in a blue bikini, who was currently being smothered by the blonde in red.

On the other side of the little wrestling match was Yamazaki, snickering in his chair as he leaned back and took a drag of his cigarette. Obviously his girl was the one winning, which was the cause of his joyous face.

"...This is disgusting." Chizuru's face twisted upon witnessing the cesspool in front of her.

"This is how the bad guys have fun, love." Billy smirked. "Don't be jealous. It's not a world for everyone."

"Don't you all hate each other?" she inquired.

Billy shrugged. "Eh... we'd probably knife each other in the back on any given day. But cmon, this is a time of fun and festivities! We can kill each other another day, yeah?"

"Enough of this." Heidern demanded. "I want to see Geese NOW."

Billy rolled his eyes. "Alright alright. So demanding tonight, aren't we?"

Walking over to the radio and killing the music, Billy cupped his hands and shouted.

"HEY BOSS! OUR ESTEEMED GUESTS WOULD LIKE AN AUDIENCE WITH YA!"

The glass door to the balcony opened, letting in the cool night air and causing the smoke to dissipate. Everyone stopped what they were doing, at least respectful enough to show gratitude to the man who was graciously letting them party in his hotel room the night before Round 2.

"Well well... just when I thought I'd had my fill of Chizuru today." Geese smirked as he approached the center of the room, standing before them. "And you brought company."

"I told you we weren't done, Geese." Chizuru fired. "We're going to discuss this Rugal situation. Right now."

"There's nothing to discuss." Heidern suddenly chimed in, stepping forward. "I'm fighting Rugal tomorrow, end of story."

"Oh?" Geese grinned. "And who granted you the authority to make decisions? This is MY tournament, buddy. I make the rules."

"There isn't gonna be a fight!" Chizuru jumped in. "We need to get rid of Rugal, not let that thing compete and potentially hurt someone else!"

"Speak for yourself!" Krauser retorted. "I have not one ounce of fear for that thing. Don't speak for everyone else with your cowardice."

"Give it a rest, Krauser. I got this." Geese boldly shot down his half-brother. Maintaining that grin, he turned and faced them once again.

"Now... as I do recall, it's Chizuru's fault in the first place that thing is in the tournament."

"Geese, I swear, if you keep holding that over my head...!" Chizuru threatened.

"Furthermore..." Geese interrupted. "We both agreed that all fights would be chosen by random selection, right? That was YOUR rule, and I respectfully adhered to it."

"B-but this is different!"

"Look, you have bitched at me about the rules long enough. Now I'm following your stupid rules, and you give me shit for it? No. You don't get to be that way. Not towards me, little lady!" Geese pointed menacingly at her.

"Geese..."

"NO! The fights are going to go by random selection, just like you wanted. And that Rugal clone IS going to compete, because he has an entry card, as per YOUR rules!"

"Geese-" Heidern started.

"Now! Since you're all here, let's start the ceremony!" Geese interrupted with a grin. "COME ONE, COME ALL! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS! BEAR WITNESS AS WE SELECT THE MATCHUPS FOR ROUND 2!"

"Do do do do loo do do do do loo." Billy's lips produced faux circus music as he grinned.

Suddenly, Yamazaki rose from his chair with a huge grin. "Finally! I've been waiting for this! Ha ha ha haaaa!"

The psycho stretched a few times, working out all his kinks as Billy rolled out a big wooden wheel with the names of the 40 contestants all plastered on it.

"Give it a whirl, Billy." Geese commanded.

"With pleasure, boss."

Grasping the wheel tightly in hand, Billy yanked with all his might and sent the wheel into a rapid spin.

"Alright, baby... fly straight and true for daddy." Yamazaki whispered as he held a throwing knife in his fingers, handle facing upwards.

"What the hell is-"

"Shhhhhhhhh." Billy silenced her. "Let the expert do his work."

Yamazaki held the blade between his fingers, his eyes carefully fixated as the wheel spun round...round...round...

"Any day now, Ryuji. Wheel's slowing down." Billy teased.

"Shut up before I put your stick where you like it the most." Yamazaki snapped.

Taking a lunge, Yamazaki let his wrist fly and the knife soared with a perfect spiral.

THUDDDDDDD!

Chizuru jumped slightly at the loud impact of the blade on wood, the knife quivering rapidly before resting in place.

"Alright alriiiiiiiiiight!" Geese laughed. "One more! Make it good!"

"Heh, naturally." Yamazaki grinned. He readied another knife above his head, and focused...

"You guys are all freaks." Chizuru insulted.

"I keep saying you need to lighten up, woman. Obviously I need to keep saying it." Geese laughed.

THUDDDDDDD!

The knife struck the wheel once again, with pinpoint accuracy.

Geese, Billy, and Big all applauded Yamazaki as the grinning man took a flamboyant bow, obviously proud of his expert knifework. It was one of those few little pleasures Yamazaki prided himself on.

"Okay, stop it Billy."

Billy put his hands on the wheel, the friction causing it to slow down to an eventual halt.

"Aaaaand our first two contestants are... Benimaru vs the pirate guy!" Geese loudly proclaimed.

"I got money on Benimaru. Anyone wanna try me?" Big grinned. He got no response, much to his disappointment.

"Okay, okay. Billy, spin the wheel again." Geese ordered.

"...This is over."

SLASH!

With one fell swoop, Heidern lunged forward and broke up the party with a deep vertical stroke. A thin blue razor-sharp trail of chi coursed right down the middle of the wooden wheel, bisecting it into two perfect halves.

The commander threateningly approached Geese, extending his finger as he snarled:

"Now look here! I didn't come to your room in the middle of the night to play games. I came to make one simple demand... I'm fighting the abomination that wears his face. The face that took my wife and daughter from me. The face that took my eye and scarred me with eternal shame. I'm not asking, Geese... I'm TELLING."

"Oh really?" Geese growled, his fists glowing violently. "And what if I say no?"

"I'm not scared of you, Geese." Heidern retorted, his posture still stiff. "And I've got news for you... you don't want to screw with the Ikari Warriors. My men have intel on your compounds that even YOU don't have. I give the word, and they'll shut down an operation. Gun smuggling, drug trafficking, prostitution... I'll pick one at random. Hell, maybe I'll make my own little spinning wheel."

"Are you... are you threatening...?" Geese fake stammered, his eyes amazed.

He swung around. "Ryuji, is this man THREATENING ME?"

Yamazaki smirked. "What are you, Geese, deaf?"

Geese turned back around. "You've got a lot of balls, commander. And it's unfortunate to say... you've got leverage on me. I'm not stupid enough to cross you and your private military. Plus... I don't feel like arguing tonight anyway."

With an exaggerated slinging of his hands and slapping of his hips, Geese sighed.

"...Fine. You win. I'll make sure your name is right next to Rugal's."

"Now wait just a minute!" Chizuru protested. "Have you all forgotten that there's other options? I'm proposing a solution that gets rid of Rugal AND doesn't risk anyone else's life."

Geese and Heidern glared at each other, then sighed and turned to face Chizuru.

"What is it, then?" Geese asked, annoyed.

Chizuru leaned in. "We disqualify Rugal for nearly killing Clark. We get him out of the public eye. And then... we dispose of him. Clean. Quiet. Nobody knows, nobody cares. The tournament goes on."

"And what about his entry card?" Geese asked. "We can't have a tournament with only 39 people."

"Just let Heidern win and advance by default. Problem solved." Chizuru replied.

"No. I won't accept that." Heidern sternly responded. "I don't care about the tournament! All I care about is ending that crime against nature. But it's got to be a fight. Don't you understand? He humiliated me so many years ago, made me feel powerless! I've got to fight him, one-on-one, two men on equal terms. It's the only way I can be content, Chizuru. I missed my chance... and I'm not going to miss it again."

"Well Chiz, the man has spoken." Geese announced. "Sorry, you lose. Shut up. Go away."

"Geese, listen to reason!" Chizuru begged. "Your name is on the tournament, for god's sake! If anything happens, YOU are accountable!"

"Eh... what's anyone gonna do to me? I'm Geese f***ing Howard! Hahahahahahaha!" Geese laughed.

"Well said, boss man." Billy flashed a thumbs up.

"YOU ARE GOING TO RUN THE NAME KING OF FIGHTERS INTO THE MUD!" Chizuru screamed.

Those words made Geese's light expression intensify a little. Chizuru suddenly found herself backing up ever-slightly, as his imposing frame closed in on her. His eyes narrowed as he leaned in close, nose almost touching hers...

"Let me tell you a little secret, Chizuru. Out of all the things I've done in this f***ed up life... King of Fighters was my proudest accomplishment. It's a monument to combat sports, and the spirit of man-to-man competition. What I've created is far bigger than you understand. King of Fighters is immortal. Throughout all the controversy, all the evil schemes, all the DESTRUCTION my tournament has caused... it will carry on. Forever. Always."

Geese finally backed away from her, allowing Chizuru's lungs to return to full capacity. She straightened her hair a little, not looking anyone in the eyes.

"Now... both of you, get out of my room. Our business is over."

Heidern nodded. "And so it is."

Hands behind his back, Heidern turned away and walked off. Chizuru stood there a few seconds longer, her face sore with defeat, before angrily turning and walking off behind Heidern.

"Man... that bitch really sucks the fun out of a room." Big complained.

"Yeah. And now I have to pick the next contestants the boring way." Geese sighed.

"Hey boss. Since you're feeling generous, do you think I could fight..."

Billy leaned in close and whispered the name of his requested opponent into Geese's ear. The blonde man grinned in agreement.

"Anything for you, Billy boy."

Outside the room, Chizuru pressed her face against the wall, trembling with anger and sorrow. She tried so hard... she just wanted to keep everyone safe. Apparently, that wasn't important enough for them. All Heidern and Geese cared about were self-gratification... and people were going to suffer for it.

As Heidern walked past her, she didn't pass up the opportunity to get a last word in.

"Well Heidern... you won. You got what you wanted. I just hope you understand the consequences of it. Being consumed by vengeance."

"I do understand." Heidern replied, not turning back to look. "I realize I may die."

"I'm sure you're fine with that." Chizuru retorted. "But I wouldn't wish this on Leona for anything. I just hope she doesn't have to see another father die!"

Heidern said nothing... but he didn't have to. Chizuru could tell just by the widening of his eye that those words delivered true. They turned him around... made him freeze. She knew she didn't have to say anything else; those words alone were enough for him to stew on.

With a silent curse, Heidern turned back around and walked off. He was angry now... angry that he let Chizuru get to him. Angry that his shell faltered in front of her. And most of all... angry that she was right.

 **PART 2: HEIDERN'S CHOICE**

Sleepless hours followed as the gravity of everything buzzed around Heidern's stomach like an angry swarm. The anxiety of facing Rugal in battle once again, the thought of death... and most of all... Chizuru's damned words still ringing. Why did she have to drill into him like that? Appeal to the little he actually cared for in this life? His daughter, his men... how would they go on without him? Ralf, Clark and Whip could probably carry on... but Leona... she couldn't live through that. No way. She already tried to off herself one time because of her past. If she lost another father...!

"Damn it all!" Heidern cursed, bringing his hand straight through a nearby streetlight. The pole stood upright for only a few seconds before the base was no longer able to support it... and it fell over with a huge CRASH.

The soldier quickly vacated the scene, realizing his anger had gotten the better of him and he vandalized city property. In the midst of his haste, his brain continued to cook inside his head, the pain throbbing against the walls of his skull. It was nearly unbearable... the uncertainty. A dilemma, rotting his brain from the inside, begging for sweet release, pleading for the comfort of a definite answer. What does he do? What is the correct answer? WHAT?

Revenge. Closure. Death. Loss. Grief. Pain. Remorse. Resentment. All of these words swirled around him, each one of them a very real possibility. Even though he got his wish, he still couldn't have things the way he wanted; no matter what, the stakes were against him. He was going to fight Rugal to the death, and if he lost his life, he would not only fail his mission... he would bring tremendous pain to her...

Leona.

"Sandra... Clara... please show me the way." Heidern uttered this prayer to the stars above, wishing for only a remote sign of their acknowledgement. It was hard being alone... forced to make the decisions by himself.

Suddenly, his internal struggle was interrupted by a loud screaming. It sounded close... up the street a ways, maybe? It sounded bad, like someone needed help!

"What the..."

Not one to shy away from protecting those in need, Heidern sprinted after the source of the commotion. As he got closer, he started to hear more voices... there were definitely a group of people.

"UNGH! F-Father... agh! PLEASE... s-stop...!"

Heidern rounded the corner... and his eye met those of his sworn enemy. The monstrous figure was standing there, but not alone.

In his grasp was his victim: a young man, fair skin, blonde hair, ruby eyes. A black top and matching slacks, gloves, boots. Though his attire was moderately altered from what Rugal used to wear, his striking similarity to his dad couldn't be overlooked.

The brute had the young man by the throat, crushing his windpipe as he flailed and squeaked in Rugal's arms. And behind Rugal, an angry blonde female in a red dress pounded him furiously.

"LET GO OF HIM! LET GO OF MY ADELHEID! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL TEAR OUT YOUR THROAT FOR HURTING BROTHER!"

Rugal silenced the braying of the young lady by raising his free arm and backhanding her in the face. The force of his large limb across her cheek sent her facedown to the ground, unconscious.

"ROSE! You son of a... AGGGGHHHHK!"

Rugal continued to squeeze, his lifeless crimson eyes devoid of all morality. It was like he wasn't aware of who this person even was... just a bag of flesh and bone who dared stand before him.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Heidern screamed as he swung his hand, firing a crescent-shaped blue projectile that soared towards Rugal.

Rugal sensed it coming; he immediately threw Adelheid to the ground and met the projectile head on with a vertical kick. A blood-red trail of chi followed his foot, parrying the projectile and negating it.

"HYAH!" Adelheid sprang upwards and threw a spinning kick to Rugal's chest, knocking him backwards a few feet. But the larger man remained upright.

Rugal looked to his left and right: Heidern and Adelheid were closing in on him from both ends. Despite having the ability to kill both... he unexpectedly retreated. Turning his back to them, he sprinted away with speed incapable by human standards.

"AFTER HIM!" Adelheid ordered.

"Don't bother. He's much too fast. Too fast for a human." Heidern stopped.

Deciding it was pointless to pursue, Adelheid instead turned his attention to Rose. Leaning down, he scooped her up in his arms.

"Rose..." he whispered her name softly, reaching a hand to gently wipe the blood from her lips.

"Ungh... b-bro...ther...?"

Rose felt his hand on her skin... and she placed her hand on it, holding it in place. She mewled softly as she nuzzled her cheek against it, basking in its warmth and comfort.

"I'm here, Rose. Are you okay?"

"Mm... brother... I'm okay... as long as I'm in your arms~" Rose quietly mumbled.

"Attagirl. Cmon, up to your feet."

Adelheid took her hand and helped her up, dusting off her dress while she fixed her hair.

"Are you two okay?" Heidern addressed.

"Commander. Nice to see you." Adelheid greeted with a bow. "Rose, show some respect!"

"Y-yes brother~" Rose obeyed, giving a prim bow of her own.

"What are you doing in Italy?"

Adelheid's face intensified. "When we saw father on tv, we took the Sky Noah here as quickly as possible. I had to see with my own eyes..."

Heidern lowered his head. "You must know that thing is not your father."

"I know he's not!" Adelheid spat. "But he disrespects the memory of our father by wearing his face! As long as that...THING... is walking around, it's as if father is not resting in the afterlife. That's why I came to Italy... I must destroy him."

"You can do it, brother. I have faith in you." Rose encouraged, hugging his arm affectionately.

Adelheid raised his palm upwards. "I know of his unethical past. I know of the wrongs he committed, the people he hurt... but those sins died with him. He deserves his eternal slumber, wherever he may reside. I won't stand by while some freak creation walks around, desecrating his rest. It's wrong, sir. It's wrong for my sister to have to see her father walking around like this, living and breathing, like he's some kind of... re-animated corpse. It's an abomination; an ugly stain on all that's decent."

He snarled as he brought his hand back down to face-level, clenching it tight. "I'm going to erase that thing and send it to oblivion where it belongs."

Heidern put a hand to his chin: an interesting development indeed. A thought was brewing... a new option, not yet considered. Adelheid coming here, to face the thing that wears his father's face... he never saw this coming. But how? How does Heidern act on this? What brazen choice is he being put in position to make?

"So tell me, Adel... do you intend to fight in the tournament?"

Adelheid looked down. "I hadn't planned on it... I don't have one of those entry cards. There's no way I can get in unless I take one from somebody."

Heidern brought his hands behind his back. "There are several fighters still injured from Round 1. King, for instance. You could easily..."

"With all due respect sir, the last thing I'm gonna do is attack a wounded fighter like some opportunistic coward." Adelheid swiftly responded.

Heidern nodded. "I see... then there's no other option."

Heidern turned his back to them, looking up at the sky, eye closing... he took a deep breath, his brain deciding if this was really the course of action he wanted to take. Was he going to do it? Throw away his opportunity for closure, once again? The chance for revenge?

...But then he thought about them again. His men. Leona. He thought of his selfishness hurting them... was he capable of doing that and resting peacefully in the next life?

As he turned back around and opened his eye... his answer was clear.

"Very well then. I forfeit the tournament. You can have my entry card."

Adelheid was taken aback. "S-Sir!"

"I'm serious. Here."

Heidern reached into his pants pocket, producing his precious entry card. He held it outwards, beckoning Adelheid to take it.

"But sir... your spot in the tournament. I couldn't. You earned this."

"The tournament no longer matters to me." Heidern replied. "Besides, I'm no fool. I know I didn't have a chance of winning anyway. That hit I took in my first fight... that was all I needed to feel to know my place. At least I got to taste victory once. I'm content."

Heidern approached Adel, placing a hand firmly on his shoulder. With the other hand... he forcefully inserted the entry card into his pocket.

"I'm entrusting things to you now, Adelheid. My vengeance, my closure... it all falls on your shoulders. Defeat that monster modeled after him. Defeat him... so I can sleep at night. So I can once again smile with my men. So I can continue to live until the day I join my family. Please... it's up to you now."

Adelheid brought his hand to his pocket, feeling the laminated material. His determined eyes looked into Heidern's own.

"I swear to you sir... I won't pass up the opportunity you've given me. I WILL defeat Rugal. For my late father, for my sister, for myself... and for you."

Heidern stood straight and bowed. "Then I take my leave now. Have a good night."

As Heidern started to walk away, Adelheid stopped him. "Sir!"

He turned back around, and Adelheid gave a bow. "Thank you... from the bottom of our hearts."

Rose noticed her brother bowing; with a yelp, she quickly followed suit.

Heidern smiled. "As you were."

The commander walked away, feeling a new sensation inside him. The feeling of... righteousness. Deep down, he knew... he knew this was the right choice. This was it all along. Adelheid was a messiah, delivered to him from the blessings of his wife and daughter. He was the answer all along.

 **SKY NOAH**

Adelheid lay shirtless on his bed, wincing as Rose applied an ice pack to his afflicted areas from earlier's hostile encounter. She was clad in an elegant red nightgown, every bit as pristine as a classy lady like her could afford.

"Ngh... ungh... quite a responsibility the commander has placed on my shoulders." Adel made conversation, all the while grunting from the icy sensation.

"His trust was placed in the right hands." Rose replied, gushing over Adel as usual. "I just wonder why Heidern seemed so hell-bent on his revenge."

"Rose. Surely you know what our father did to his-"

"I know, I know. Y-you don't need to say it." Rose interrupted, that topic obviously uncomfortable. "But I'm just saying, that's a fake Rugal is it not? Heidern should feel nothing for it."

Adel groaned. "Don't you get it, Rose? Seeing something modeled after someone significant can be just as impactful as the real thing. Didn't seeing that thing remind you of our father?"

Rose sighed. "Yes... you're absolutely right. Hmph... why must people be so cruel, brother? Why must they create such horrid things?"

"It's just the unfortunate nature of man: to create and destroy." Adelheid responded coolly.

Rose removed the ice pack and crawled on top of him. "I wish all men could be like you, brother. Noble, kindhearted... handsome... charming..."

"...Rose."

Without warning, Rose leaned down and kissed his chest. She slowly inched upwards towards his neck... before Adelheid halted her advance.

"Rose. Stop."

She rose upwards with a pout. "Aw... but brother..."

"I have a big day tomorrow. Just be quiet and go to sleep."

"Hmph... fine..."

Rose leaned over and turned off the light, pulling up the covers before going limp atop her brother's torso.

 **Okay... you can let me have it now. About everything. Even that bit at the end. I don't care. We all have our guilty pleasures. They're hot together e . e (hangs head in shame)**

 **Welp, hope you enjoyed this little break from fight scenes. I sure did. TIME TO KICK THINGS UP!**

 **Next chapter: Round 2 begins! 40 will enter, only 20 will remain. I'm looking at 4 fights per chapter for 20 fights. Meaning this will be over in less than half the time it took Round 1 :D**

 **Love you all. Review plz.**


	17. Chapter 17: Round 2, pt 1

**Alright, let's get this thing started! More fights. Trying new things. Some may be stinkers, some may be gold. I dunno. It's really up to you to determine whether I keep my word on delivering quality or not.**

When the sun rose, so too did the winners and losers of the Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite. Despite a good night's sleep and prescription medicine, very few of the fighters were fresh this morning. This second round would be tougher than ever, as the fighters had to traverse through a myriad of aches, pains, cuts, and fractures on their path to glory.

There would only be one round today as well: 20 fights instead of 40. It would be a much quicker day, which meant a longer rest for the fortunate winners. Today, victory would be far more vital; defeating the opponent quickly without taking major damage would be the key to remaining healthy enough for Round 3.

As the Coliseum started to pack from the front, the winners began gathering in the back. Some of the losers stuck around too, either to show support for friends and loved ones, or just for fun. Regardless, the turnout would be equally big from yesterday.

"Welp, back to the ol' grind." Terry casually declared with a smile, straightening his cap.

"A badass's work is never done." Joe boasted, flexing his left arm one good time.

"Andy... let's go to Round 3 together~" Mai declared, hugging her lover tight, to which he returned the favor.

"I'll meet you there, babe." Andy promised.

Some of the fighters were rocking new duds on this day, electing to shed their attire of yesterday because it was dirty and unwashed... or because they just wanted to look fresh.

Athena had changed out of her white and red outfit with a red skirt and black undershorts in favor of a more comfortable look: a glittery pink t-shirt and an adorable navy blue miniskirt. To complete the outfit were her cute multi-colored socks which rested a few inches below the knees, and a pair of pink tennis shoes with white undersides. Although she was a little self-conscious that people would see her panties while she fights, she measured that minor annoyance alongside the importance of comfort and mobility in combat. Ultimately, she decided there was no need to be so reserved; people were going to be looking at her all day anyway.

Her clothes aside, even her natural features weren't spared: Athena was feeling PINK today, and everyone knew it after seeing her no longer with a purple mane... but one of a bubblegum pigment. Her face also showed it, from her hot pink eyeliner to her coral lipstick. But everyone loved it; pink or purple, Athena could make anything look good. She was the one constant factor when it came to being beautiful and glamorous.

Leona was also a little more loose today, much to the fans' delight. Her standard olive-green shorts and shirt were gone: in it's place, an extremely small light brown tanktop that hugged her torso tight and rested well above her navel. One could really analyze the finer points of Leona's breasts in that top, as they bulged quite prominently along with bursting cleavage in the middle.

Her bottoms consisted of rather small green camo shorts, which molded to her glutes and emphasized her rear curves in excruciating detail. She wouldn't have to worry about any restraint on her legs and thighs; those shorts hugged her like a second skin and allowed for the utmost of freedom in combat.

To complete the image were her usual black gloves, and a pair of short brown boots with dark socks. She also had her blue hair in its usual style; some things never change.

Even the stiff, stuffy Elisabeth went casual today with a simple pair of black leggings and a long-sleeved white collar shirt with... many of the buttons undone. So many, in fact, that the center gore of her blue push-up bra could be seen peeking out the middle, along with a generous portion of her sizable bosom.

"Where's Kyo?" Benimaru asked his fellow teammate Daimon

"I dunno... but he was worrying me last night." Goro replied, his head low.

"Yeah, he's been acting weird... right after he found out about this Rugal mess."

As they were speaking of their beloved team captain, Kyo Kusanagi DID finally emerge... and his own attire had changed drastically, much to their disappointment.

No longer did he wear his OG brown suit and headband, a timeless throwback to Japan Team's glory days: he went with a much more casual and less significant approach. Kyo wore a simple dark brown leather jacket, with a midnight blue pair of jeans and black shoes. But what really threw Beni and Goro off was his simple t-shirt underneath... instead of his usual white, Kyo was wearing the opposite. It was so unnatural to them, so... brooding. Something was up with him big time.

"Kyo, man... what happened? Where's your headband?" Benimaru asked, a sad expression on his face.

Kyo shook his head, hands in his pockets. "Ah, I put that stupid thing back up. It belongs in a drawer."

Benimaru nudged him. "Cmon man, people were really loving the old suit and headband. What happened?"

Kyo sighed. "I'm just not in a nostalgic mood today, that's all."

"And what's with the black undershirt? You joining the dark side?" Benimaru teased, trying to lighten things up with a joke.

"... Fight well today, guys."

Kyo managed a weak smile as he placed a hand on the shoulders of Benimaru and Daimon simultaneously. After that kind little gesture, he turned and walked off. The smile faded as quickly as it could be produced.

"...Our boy's in bad shape, Daimon." Benimaru worried. "He's not feeling the fire anymore. I can see it plain on his face. His heart's not in this."

Goro folded his arms, watching Kyo walk away. "I see it too. I just wonder how this will affect his performance..."

Benimaru shrugged. "Ah, he'll probably be alright. Even on his worst day, Kyo can smoke most people."

As for another fighter, it WAS her worst day. King was nursing by far the most severe injury of all the fighters still in the contest. Ryo was tearing into her, Yuri, Mai... but still she was having none of it.

"Guys, guys, GUYS." King addressed all those around her. "Please. I'm not quitting."

"King, come ON!" Ryo berated. "We have unanimously decided that it's a terrible idea for you to keep fighting!"

King smirked. "It's not unanimous. Because I say nay."

A vein throbbed in Mai's forehead. "Kingy! Don't make me and Yuri tie you up and stuff you somewhere!"

"I'll do it, you know." Yuri threatened.

King folded her arms. "And I'll get Chizuru on your asses. Don't forget, she was my teammate just as much as yours, Mai. She'll side with me, because the contest can't go on with 39 people."

"Like Chizuru cares more about that than your safety!" Mai argued.

King drew her head back. "Ughhhhhhhh! ENOUGH! I AM FIGHTING! END OF STORY!"

From afar, Mary and Vanessa watched this unfold with sweatdrops and awkward smiles.

"Poor King. It's tough when everyone's against you, but your mind is already made up."

"Yup." Vanessa agreed.

"...Um, can you see out of your right eye?" Mary suddenly inquired.

"Girl, don't start with me."

Vanessa shot down that potential argument quickly, walking away and leaving Mary standing there. Luckily, Mary wasn't alone for very long, as the eliminated Bonne Jenet came skipping along with uncontrollable humming and a giggle here and there.

"La la la dee daaaaaa... such a beautiful day~ hee hee hee... ahhhh~"

Mary raised an eyebrow, her lip curling upwards. "You seem like you had a good night."

Jenet's huge grin widened more, her cheeks turning red. "Let's just say... I learned the true meaning of 'plunder', heeheeheeheeheeeeeeee~"

"...You slept with the pirate guy?"

"Noooooo... I slept with the most famous pirate in history on his flying ship~"

"...Wow. Good night indeed."

Most of the contestants had gathered in the hour, ready to assume their position in the stands and await their next fight. But betwixt all the familiar faces... one face was missing.

"Where's the commander?" Ralf inquired to Leona, who merely shook her head with uncertainty.

"...Commander Heidern is no longer with us." a mysterious voice announced.

Ralf and Leona turned simultaneously to meet the glistening rubies of Adelheid's irises. His face was stern, serious... while Rose's was more whimsical as she clung to his arm.

"What do you mean? Are you saying..." Ralf started.

"I didn't steal his entry card." Adelheid finished. "Out of concern for his loved ones, Heidern saw fit to withdraw from the tournament instead of pursuing the vengeance he so intensely craved. He saw the light, saw that revenge would only lead to despair for the people close to him. He gave me his card. I'M going to fight that thing modeled after my father."

"Where is he now?!" Ralf demanded.

"Behind you." a familiar voice responded.

"ULK!"

Ralf and Leona swung around and went stiff, standing at attention before their commander's presence.

"At ease." Heidern allowed. "Adelheid speaks the truth. I was about to go down a dangerous path: a path that would have led to my death. But now, I leave things in Adelheid's hands. He has the power to stop that abomination called Rugal. I have utmost confidence in him."

"Yes!" Rose hyped. "My Adelheid will silence that brute who wears our father's face!"

"On my honor, I won't fail." Adelheid promised, his eyes solemnly closed, a fist on his heart.

As their ambitious conversation died down, Chizuru finally emerged inside the building. Her hair was quite frizzled, bags under her eyes... and an apparent lack of makeup. The fact that she didn't even get dolled up yet meant she was not having the best morning...

"Alright you guys, let's have a good day." Chizuru addressed the fighters. "Let's keep it clean, keep it fair. Fight hard, and don't get too injured if you want to advance."

"Chizuru, you alright?" Mai asked her friend.

"Eh... I need a few minutes in the locker room. Sorry guys. Slow morning." Chizuru chuckled.

"Miss Kagura, I have a request." Adelheid addressed.

"Hm?"

The noble young man stepped forward, placing a tender arm around Rose. Upon feeling him around her, Rose let out a blissful sigh.

"Please keep my sister close to you. Protect her."

"B-brother, stoooooooop~" Rose giggled, a huge blush on her cheeks.

"Please." Adelheid pleaded. "I didn't want to bring Rose back into this. I wanted to keep her as far away from King of Fighters as humanly possible. But she followed me here... I couldn't just stop her..."

"I'll follow you anywhere, brother~"

Chizuru approached Rose with a smile, taking her hand. "She'll be safe with me."

Adelheid smiled and bowed. "You have my gratitude. If there's anything I can do-"

"Kill Rugal."

"Yes. Of course."

"ALRIGHT!" Ryo screeched, flexing his arm. "Let's get our asses out there!"

"Yahoooooo! Right behind ya!" Shingo exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

"Someone's gonna burn today. I swear it." Iori decreed.

With the enthusiastic, boastful, brazen words of these fired up combatants, Round 2 of the Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite was officially underway. The fighters all went back out to the stands, sitting down and awaiting their names to be called once more. As for the lucky starters... they went to the locker room and prepared for the next showdown.

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #1: BENIMARU NIKAIDO VS CAPTAIN KIDD**

Benimaru narcissistically smoothed his hair as he looked down on Kidd. "Ew... what an atrocious getup. It's a little early for Halloween."

Kidd chuckled as he straightened his hat. "Another non-believer, I see. By the time I'm done with you, you'll put down the mirror and pick up a cutlass."

Benimaru laughed. "Buddy, I've got too damn good a life to ever be a filthy pirate like you. Dream on."

 **FIGHT!**

Kidd lunged in, throwing a wild right and a left behind it. His form was rather sloppy, allowing Benimaru to easily backpedal and sway his head out of the way of the dangerous fists. Benimaru took advantage of Kidd's haste and battered him underneath the armpit with a mid kick. Since Kidd was coming forward at such speed, the kick impacted extra hard and stunned him solid. As he froze in Benimaru's deadly range... the pillar-headed blonde fired an extra-flexible knee upwards and caught him in the chin.

"Ooch. Beni can bring that leg up to unholy heights." Terry winced.

Kidd retreated backwards with a hiss, shaking his head a few times to clear the daze. He massaged his chin for the slightest of moments... then came forward with a leaping kick. He tried to plant his boot in Beni's face, but the blonde sidestepped and Kidd whiffed. As he landed, he spun around with a wild spinning backfist, which Beni had to tilt his head quickly to avoid. As Kidd got his footing back under him, he lunged with a powerful overhand left... but his fist whizzed past Beni's cheek and the blonde buried his knee deep into Kidd's gut.

"Hnnnngh...!" Kidd wheezed with pain as he fell to his knees.

"I'm not done." Benimaru smirked. "FRY!"

Benimaru backflipped, his feet flying upwards and smashing into Kidd's chin. A literal crack of thunder resonated as a powerful electric aura coursed through the buccaneer's body. He shook and spasmed for several seconds before falling to the ground completely.

Benimaru retreated to a safe distance, striking a sexy pose for the crowd with his hand on his hip and one hand blowing a kiss. He was obviously unworried about Kidd, despite the pirate slowly getting back up...

And once again... Benimaru foolishly took his eyes off his enemy.

The flamboyant man took a head-on H2O shark projectile, blasting him in the face with such immense force that he landed on his butt and skidded for several yards. As his posterior dragged against the ground, the painful friction gave his ass a stinging like someone struck him with a flogger.

But obviously, that's not what the blonde was even worried about. No, the pain was nothing compared to the horror that befell him...

"MY HAAAAAAIR!" he wailed. "AH! SOPPING WET! DROOPING! IT TAKES ME FOREVER TO STAND IT UP! YOU BASTARD!"

The now-angry blonde leaped up, rubbing his ass where it dragged across the earth. His hair slumped over, draping over his face with droplets falling like tears. The only thing that could be seen was his teeth... which scowled with fury.

"You... will... pay... you... SCUM!"

Benimaru rushed forward; Kidd stayed still, composed. He fired another shark projectile, but Benimaru sidestepped to dodge it and didn't lose his momentum. The blonde closed distance and fired a right hand, following up with a left. Kidd swayed his head to avoid the 1-2, and he tried to counter with a left cross... but Benimaru once again stunned him with a knee to the body. Kidd felt it hard too; the accumulation of them had worked him over, turning his muscles heavy, his body heaving agonizing breaths. He was feeling weak, sluggish... with every breath, he wanted to collapse...

Benimaru sensed him slowing down too; he knew his body strikes had softened up the hardened captain as Kidd stumbled backwards, disoriented, hunched over, clutching his abdomen.

"Checkmate." Benimaru grinned.

The blonde pressed the advantage; as Kidd backed into his kicking range, Benimaru let loose a baseball bat of a kick to Kidd's ankle, twisting his foot sideways and throwing the captain SERIOUSLY off balance. He fell down one time, but scrambled back to his feet only to receive a shin to the face.

"UNGH!" Kidd grunted as his daylights were slowly flickering out. He tried to steady himself and look forward... but there were 4 Benimarus coming at him. Dammit, he couldn't even hit the one in the middle because there WAS NO MIDDLE!

Weak, heaving and desperate, Kidd drew his fist back and formed another aqua shark. But, at the precise moment he brought his arm forward to unleash it... Benimaru intercepted it with a fist coursing with electric aura.

It didn't take a scientist to know that electricity and water was a bad combination. Kidd's arm was enveloped with his aqua projectile, and when their fists collided... that electricity took to it like ants to a picnic.

"GUUUUUGHGHGHGHGHGGGHGLLLLLLLL!"

Before he knew it, Captain Kidd was fish fry. His arms drooped to his sides, his knees giving out, unable to support his sapped muscles. He fell over facefirst, unable to continue.

 **WINNER: BENIMARU NIKAIDO**

"Ha! Round 3, baby! You know it!" Benimaru winked to the crowd, giving them a fake gunshot with his forefinger. The crowd went ballistic as they reveled in the victory of their beloved boytoy. Yes, the long-time "sidekick" of hero teams was now one step closer to finally breaking those chains that bound him from achieving his own greatness.

As for the cutthroat commander of the seas... his voyage had come to an end. He recovered enough to get back to his feet at least... and he slowly began to trudge into the sunset. But he wouldn't go alone, for a pretty young blonde whose heart he captivated came running after him.

"CAPTAIN! OH CAPTAIN, PLEASE WAIT!"

Kidd stopped and turned around, just in time to receive Bonne Jenet into his arms. The blonde girl looked up at him with glistening eyes...

"Where are you going?" she asked softly, the breeze blowing her locks against him.

"My journey here is at an end, my dear." Kidd smiled. "The sea calls to me once again."

"Please take me with you!" she pleaded.

Kidd shook his head. "I can't do that, madame. Your place is here, in the present. You are the future of our rich, historic culture. You must carry on, to keep our name alive!"

Jenet reached a hand up to wipe her tears. "Sniff... I will, Captain. I will!"

Kidd smiled. "Attagirl. And remember the creed of pirates: take everything you can, and give nothing back. And now... I leave you with this."

Before the Captain turned to walk off, never to be seen again, he left Bonne Jenet with a parting gift: his beloved blue hat atop her head. As the teary-eyed blonde watched him walk away, she grabbed it and held it to her chest tenderly, now a priceless keepsake that would remain with her to her final days.

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #2: MAI SHIRANUI VS HANZO HATTORI**

The words were short, the action quick. Mai pressed forward with a left, backing Hanzo into her desired range. When she had him where she wanted him, she quickly spun around and whipped her cloth at him.

"RYU EMBU!"

The red cloth, emblazoned with flame, threatened to strike Hanzo in the face... but the blue-clad ninja swiftly backflipped to a safe distance.

As the two of them reset, the red and blue ninjas at last addressed each other.

"You're quite a looker." Mai smiled. "You know, my grandfather was named Hanzo."

The attractive spiky-haired ninja gave a bow of respect. "It's an honor to face one of the revered Shiranui clan in combat. The legacy of Shiranui spans many generations. Some of my greatest opponents came from your clan."

Mai smirked, getting back into stance. "Then let's repeat history, shall we?"

The action continued, with Mai frontflipping forward and leaping at Hanzo with her foot extended. The blue ninja leaped back to avoid her flying kick, then came forward with a quick knifehand strike. Mai parried his openhanded strike with her wrist, lunging in with a counter elbow to his chest. But Hanzo's reflexes were just as fast; his forearm blocked her elbow before it could slam into his sternum.

Mai and Hanzo both got the idea to throw a kick with the sole of their foot; as their shoes connected, they both pushed away at the same time and distanced themselves with a flying backflip.

"REKKOZAN!" Hanzo initiated, throwing his trusty blue shuriken.

Mai whipped out a fan from her cleavage and opened it, slashing the projectile to oblivion. She quickly had to draw another one to parry another projectile that came flying at her at twice the speed.

Both fans brandished, Mai charged at Hanzo with her body emblazoned. Her fans carried a trail of crimson fire as she spun around and let loose a deep diagonal stroke. The blue ninja swayed his head and dodged the first one... but Mai doubled up by swinging the other fan at him, and this one was sure to hit its mark with fiery results.

...But Hanzo had a weapon of his own, which he saw fit to draw from its sheath. A split second before Mai's flaming fan scorched him, Hanzo's short blade parried it and left him unharmed.

"AH! Damn it!" Mai cursed as Hanzo redirected her hand and sent the fan flying from her grasp. She was so distracted by losing one of her weapons that Hanzo was able to plant a clean kick to her chest and knock her backwards.

"Ungh... ah... it sucks getting kicked there..." Mai hissed as she recovered her footing.

The brunette quickly regained herself, raising her one available fan at Hanzo, who sheathed his blade and got back into fighting stance. Deciding to return to hand-to-hand herself, Mai closed the fan and shoved it back into her snug cleavage.

The two ninja closed distance once more, and hands went flying. Mai curved an elbow towards his temple, but Hanzo ducked and thrust a palm into her side. Mai flinched, and Hanzo threw a chop towards her neck, but Mai brought her arm against the side of her head to absorb it. She brought her free hand upwards, smacking Hanzo in the chin with the back of it and snapping his head back. She capitalized, throwing a stomping kick to his left hip that staggered him.

As Hanzo danced backwards into her range, Mai prepared a vicious throw. Frontflipping forward, she locked her legs around his neck and used her hands to keep her body level. Her intentions were to push off the ground with her hands, using her legs to send Hanzo on a wild ride through the air and slam him.

...Unfortunately, Hanzo had a defense already prepared. Before Mai could throw him, he seized her ankles and pried her legs apart from his neck. Like flipping a table in anger, he literally flipped Mai back upwards so she was right side up again. With a curse, Mai was forced to land on her feet.

And when her feet touched the ground... Hanzo let her have it. A vicious body blow, courtesy of his forearm to her stomach, folded Mai inwards like a chair and sent her to her butt.

"Ouuf... cough cough... ugh..." Mai only remained upwards long enough to cough before falling back.

"MAI!" Andy cried. "Damn, this ninja is actually besting her. I never thought I'd see the day..."

"Mai won't go down that easy. This isn't over." Terry reassured.

Thankfully, Mai did indeed have some fight left in her. Hanzo was respectful enough to back away and allow her to get back to her feet. Although she was in serious pain and slightly hunched over... this was nothing new for Mai, really. Especially hunching over. Having breasts like hers required that on a daily basis anyway.

"Alright prettyboy... you hit me with a few lucky shots." Mai trash talked. "But there's only one ninja who I would ever call my equal... and you're not him."

Hanzo nodded, getting into stance. "You're right. I'm NOT your equal."

"KACHOSEN!" Mai whipped out her fan and let it soar towards Hanzo. But the blue ninja drew his ninja blades and smacked the fan away easily. However, once again, this was but a distraction, allowing Mai to quickly close distance and attack.

Both feet extended, Mai planted a kick which partially caught his throat and his chin. Hanzo stumbled back with a bit of a choked gasp, but he was more surprised than injured. Mai cartwheeled forward, her body engulfed in fire, and her lead foot struck Hanzo in the forehead at the apex of its height. This one made him seriously stagger... but he regained himself before he hit the ground.

Mai went high with a side kick, catching him on the eyebrow and sending him backwards. But thankfully the sole of her shoe connected clean, so there was no cut. It still hurt like hell and obstructed his vision, though.

She tried to follow up with a sweep kick, but this time Hanzo got the better of her. Leaping above her soaring foot, he connected on her crown with a heel drop, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. But Hanzo was able to quickly roll backwards to his feet... while Mai got up a lot shakier. Having her skull rattled like that sent her vision awry, her equilibrium scrambled.

"Ugh... gotta... get... airborne...!"

Hanzo came at her with a low kick, and Mai did just what she wanted. She used her ninja agility to leap backwards, taking to the sky with impressive height.

Hanzo looked up at her, eyes focused; he knew she was about to come down on him. He could see her body straightening out, assuming a sky-diving form. She was coming at him head-first... it could only be... the legendary Flying Squirrel technique. He knew it all too well, from past generations of Shiranui...

"MUSABI NO MAIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Hanzo, unfortunately, wasn't nearly as off-guard as she had hoped. No... he was the exact opposite. In the midst of Mai soaring at him like a descending rocket... he produced a painfully effective anti-air.

"KOU RYUU HAAAA!"

At the most inopportune moment for Mai, when her descent was at its fastest and body most vulnerable... Hanzo flew upwards to meet her with the most picture-perfect uppercut. His body coursed with the chi of blazing blue dragons, strengthening his blow to bone-breaking proportions. The uppercut couldn't have hit her chin cleaner, as her Flying Squirrel attack caused her head to stick out prominently.

Mai's clock was cleaned, her body shutting down before it even hit the ground. When at last her body impacted, she only remained conscious enough to utter a few defeated words:

"Ahh... nuts... he got me... Andy... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..."

 **WINNER: HANZO HATTORI**

"First Kisaragi, now Mai... this ninja plays to win." Terry declared. But he looked over and saw Andy's heartbroken face, and he quickly decided maybe he should clam up. Choosing to say nothing else, he placed a consoling hand on the shoulder of his brother.

"Mai... dammit... we were supposed to go to Round 3 together..." Andy sighed.

"Maybe this fate. Maybe you're the one who's supposed to get that guy." Joe reassured. "So you better survive this round, buddy!"

Those words motivated Andy, who clenched a determined fist. "You're exactly right, Joe. This IS fate. When Round 3 comes... I'm gonna show that guy what a REAL ninja is!"

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #3: K' DASH VS KING**

"Damn this. Damn this to hell."

"Ryo, buddy, she made her choice."

"I don't care. I don't have to like it!"

"King is a strong woman, alright?" She... she'll get through this somehow."

"No... she won't..."

That disheartened, dejected conversation between Ryo and Robert died down as they turned their attention to the goings-on inside the combat zone. King and K' were already out there.

The two remained completely, deathly still... their eyes intensely locked in a battle of resolve and spirit. Each stood their ground, unwavering in their respective gazes. King's was one of pure ferocity, her eyebrows lowered, teeth bared almost animalistically towards her opponent. She assumed her stance, fists raised, light on her lead leg... and she continued to stare at him. She didn't remove her eyes for anything. She didn't even blink. Every ounce, every granule of her true fighting spirit shone in the gaze she instilled upon him. A gaze that didn't care about injuries, or odds. This was the gaze of a woman who lived to fight, no matter what hindrances tried to restrain her.

As for K' he wore a much different face... one that was frightening in its own right. He wore the eyes of a dead man, so blank, so devoid of emotion... he could chill someone to their very bone with his indifference. His gaze towards King lacked such compassion, such soul... he was almost a corpse, incapable of being moved by emotional appeal or intimidation. For a man as dangerous as K'... this was a lethal cold.

"I'm giving you one chance, King. Walk away."

Those surprising first words from K' broke the silence, a warning to his opponent, a last avenue of escape before the point of no return. The door was wide open for King... but the woman merely shook her head.

"Your concern for me is flattering. And unexpected. You going soft on me, kid?" King suddenly changed the mood with a bit of teasing.

When K' didn't respond, her lighthearted demeanor faded just as quickly as it came around. If he wasn't in the mood to play, neither was she.

"You already have my answer." King continued. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here."

 **FIGHT!**

Even though the fight officially started, neither one of them moved a muscle. They just stood there, right in front of each other, each in range of the other. They stood, statue-like, eyes still locked, King in her combat stance... and K' just standing there as casual as could be. His hands were at his sides, shoulders slouching, feet planted firmly. His eyes continued to peer into hers, as if the two of them were engaged in a silent battle not of fists... but of an unspoken, unseen type.

The Coliseum was silent as death, everyone on their feet, saliva caught in their throats, hearts racing as they awaited a move. Some move... ANY move...!

...But still they stood. Their eyes were still locked, DARING one to make the first move. The air was so thick, so tense... it was almost suffocating just standing there. It was like a traditional duel: two samurai standing before each other, katanas at the hip, one decisive blow the deciding factor. Like two gunmen, hands on their pistols, waiting for the one swift draw that would end the tense confrontation.

King won the first exchange. Her body moved impeccably fast, no telegraphing, as she pivoted her hip and sent a kick crashing into the side of K's right leg. Her shin impacted perfectly below his knee, hyperextending it, the entire lower half of his leg bending outwards.

If K' was in pain, his poker face didn't show it. The man had nerves of steel. That was perhaps the cleanest leg kick one could receive... but still he stood, his feet firmly beneath him. His stance didn't change in the slightest.

The staredown commenced once again, seconds and seconds ticking away that neither one made a move. King was sizing him up, measuring the extent of that blow before preparing another one. Her eyes darted downwards for only the slightest moment, to gauge the toll it took on his stance. But there was no tell; he showed no signs of impairment in his icy irises.

After a minute ticked by, King once again unleashed a kick with the speed of a crackling bolt. Her target: the same spot as before. She was going to break him.

...But this time, K' didn't give her that one for free. As her leg came forward, he extended his shin to check it. Her foot bounced uncomfortably on solid bone, the boundary between his kneecap and where the shin started.

King brought her leg back to resting position... and a jolt of pain shot through it like fire before the numbing started to slowly creep in. That one set her back a bit... but she had to pull through it. K' was still in her kicking range, too far away to close distance with punches. As bad as it hurt, she'd have to throw again. And it couldn't be low, lest he check it again...

...And for K' this had gone according to plan. Like a chess game, he forced her to make a different move; one that was going to cost her dearly. He knew she wasn't going to try and kick him low again, which meant she had no choice but to throw high...

...And throw high, she did. As fluid as her movements were, K' still knew her foot was coming for his head. That was all he needed to end the fight right then and there.

K' brought one arm up to stop the kick reaching his head... and with his free arm he closed distance and drove his fist into her ribcage.

The audience knew she was done; they turned their heads with a wince before she even hit the ground. Many a squeamish soul didn't dare look back, as King rolled around on the ground in absolute agony, tears being squeezed from her tightly shut eyelids as she cried out with audible whimpers.

"KING! Son of a bitch...!" Ryo cursed to the heavens above. His anger wasn't directed at K', or King, or anybody else... he was just angry that things went exactly the way they were scripted. He knew there was no chance of this ever going another way. Mostly, he was angry that she didn't listen to his pleas or the pleas of her old teammates. She foolishly elected to continue... and now she suffered for it.

Ryo and Yuri quickly ran out there to tend to her, scooping her up in their arms and lifting her shirt to gently massage her bandaged area. Tried as they did, there was no relief that could ease the pain of King right now. She could only grit her teeth and suck in air, stifling whimpers, her lip caught in her teeth and splitting open from the force of her bite.

"King... it's okay, baby. We're here... we're here..." Ryo soothed.

"Agh! Ahhhhgh! Son of a bitch caught me...!" King wailed. "Ahhh! I... unghhh... I don't regret it... hahahahaha..."

"Oh King... you're such a dummy..." Yuri sobbed, pressing her head against her beloved teammate and shedding a few tears of her own.

 **WINNER: K' DASH**

K' was wise enough to quickly and quietly vacate the scene, returning to his seat alongside Maxima and Kula. They wanted to smile with triumph... but they figured it would look very out of place given King's current anguish. So, they just modestly put their hands on K's shoulders.

"Great fight, K'." Maxima congratulated.

"Y-you did... awesome..." Kula seconded.

Of course, K' was not one to revel in victory. But at that moment... he felt a little extra inclined not to. Letting out a huge sigh, he brought his leg back to his lap and slouched over, hand propping his cheek. His face wore the most sour of dispositions; one could even say it was worse than normal.

Unfortunately, no one would ever know the truth of what K' was feeling at that moment. Whether he felt immense guilt, or sadistic glee, or just didn't give a shit, K' kept his emotions bottled up with the cap screwed on tight.

 **Next chapter: I dunno. I'm just playing it by ear at this point. W-well... KINDA. I already have all the matchups. I already know who wins the whole thing. The trick is just getting it all out there for you fine folks to enjoy : )**

 **So stay tuned! And leave reviews plz. I want this story to break my all-time record which is currently held by "Monika's Freedom." : D**


	18. Chapter 18: Round 2, pt 2

**Woohoo! More fights! I managed 4 this chapter, don't worry. The fights are going to transition a lot faster from here on. We gotta keep this thing rolling. I wanna get to the really fun fights : )**

 **Author's Pick: #7. I had a lot of fun with it. The other three are stinkers compared to #7, I think. Enjoy!**

"More tea, Miss Kagura?"

Chizuru was silently thankful to have some civilized company in Rose, who had brought her tea set from the Sky Noah and offered some to the woman. Chizuru accepted with a smile, bringing the concoction to her lips and giving it a fancy little sip.

"Now Miss Kagura, I do hope there's no hard feelings about me refusing to help host with you this year." Rose continued. "But my brother is just too protective of me! After what happened... with that puppet master..."

"No need to justify, Miss Bernstein. I understand completely." Chizuru responded.

"So how is hosting alongside that atrocious Geese Howard?"

"Ugh! Girl, don't even get me started on him. I don't know how this tournament ever thrived with him at the helm... the guy is just a loose cannon. Rose, I would have given anything if you and I were in charge of this thing instead of him."

Rose put a hand to her mouth and gave a lyrical giggle. "Well, I think you're doing a fine job. The tournament looks better than ever, and I do give you the credit for that. And don't you worry about that little mess with our father's imposter. My dear brother will clean it up quite nicely~"

Chizuru's smile faded. "Y-yeah... I hope so..."

Rose knew she had said the wrong words, judging from how quickly Chizuru's happy demeanor changed. She had to act fast to salvage the situation...

"Drink, Miss Kagura, drink! More tea! Let's enjoy the fights! No place for sad faces here, during this joyous time!" Rose encouraged. "I do believe Madame Blanctorche is close to securing her second victory. Ahh, I so like her style. Now that's a woman who makes it in this world~!"

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #4: ELISABETH BLANCTORCHE VS RYOKO IZUMO**

Rose was quite right; Elisabeth was pretty much having her way with the Judoka. The poor girl couldn't get the close range she needed for the life of her, as the Frenchwoman was maintaining distance like a pro.

Ryoko dived at her ankles, attempting to secure a leg... but Elisabeth leaped back and brought a hand down to press her head downwards, stifling her attempt. As Ryoko struggled to her feet, Elisabeth gave her a parting gift: hammering her on top of the head with the handle of her crop.

"Owwwwww!" Ryoko whined as she clutched her crown in pain, backpedaling to safety. "Darn it! You are NOT the one I wanted to fight! I wanted the big guy!"

Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "Well honey, I'm not too much enthused about this either. Why don't you give us a break and call it quits?"

Ryoko growled. "Grrrr... NEVER!"

The Judoka tried to close in with an ukemi... but Elisabeth thrust her palm outwards and blasted her with a ray of silver energy. Ryoko skidded against the ground a few yards, but the persistent Judoka got back up and sprinted towards her.

Elisabeth readied her crop, preparing to unleash it as soon as Ryoko got close... but the Judoka faked her out by sliding at her feet at the last second. Locking her legs around Elisabeth's calf, Ryoko used that as leverage to bring her body close and wrap her arms around Elisabeth's waist. She finally got the clinch she wanted.

Elisabeth tried to pry her off, but Ryoko was a slippery little eel. Before the Frenchwoman knew it, Ryoko had managed to get behind her and leap onto her back. Locking her legs tight around the Frenchwoman's abdomen, she snaked her arms around Elisabeth's head and neck and put her in a scarf-hold headlock. It wasn't so much of a choke as it was a neck crank, yanking her head sideways and putting INTENSE strain on the neck.

She pulled with both hands as hard as she could, basically looking like she was trying to rip the Frenchwoman's head from her shoulders. As uncomfortable and painful as it was to her, Elisabeth's face never changed; she was ever-composed, even in the face of the greatest adversity.

Unfortunately, it became apparent a few seconds later that Elisabeth was never in any REAL danger; a blinding flash of light and a swarm of sparkles later, Ryoko found herself falling on her butt, no longer clinging to the Frenchwoman's body.

"Ung... wh-wha... how did you-"

SMACK!

Elisabeth charged at her with a silver streak, connecting hard on her temple with the crop with one deep, clean stroke, like a samurai cleaving a bamboo tree.

Ryoko's feet danced around haphazardly, the poor girl struggling to even keep her eyes forward. Her head wasn't just rattled... it was in another dimension.

...But despite her daze, Ryoko attempted to charge at Elisabeth once more. That's when the Frenchwoman took off the kid gloves and ended this thing.

Elisabeth raised her weapon-wielding hand, then her free hand, coursing with her holy magic. She crossed the two like an X, imbuing her leather weapon with the brilliant power of her evil-smiting light.

When the Judoka closed in, Elisabeth ran through her with another perfect stroke, the Coliseum lighting up with the illuminating glow of her sparkling might.

The two were standing on opposite sides: Elisabeth now behind her, her arm still post-swing... and Ryoko standing there, completely stunned solid. It was as if she was simply waiting for someone to bark the command for her to fall down.

...That command came when Elisabeth brought two fingers to her weapon and traced the length of it... before abruptly swiping her fingers across it like a credit card.

"Taste the light of justice."

An immense explosion of light rocked Ryoko's world, bathing her in the magic that was darkness's bane. It was difficult for the audience to see because of the bright light show, but they knew Ryoko was being engulfed in an awesome and terrifying power that not many mortals could stand up to.

When at last the smoke and mirrors died down... Ryoko fell to her knees and collapsed facefirst.

 **WINNER: ELISABETH BLANCTORCHE**

Elisabeth shot the slightest of glances up to the stands, her eyes fixated on one boy... and she made sure to turn her head so he KNEW she was giving him the stink eye.

Ash just stared right back, a playful little grin on his lips. Not one to succumb to intimidation, he lightened the mood by bringing his hand up and wiggling his fingers at her playfully.

Rolling her eyes, Elisabeth put a hand on her hip and stomped away.

"That's right, Betty. Keep walking." Ash smirked.

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #5: JOE HIGASHI VS HWA JAI**

"You've had this coming, Joe my friend! You've had it coming for a very very long time!" Hwa Jai threatened, pointing menacingly.

Joe tightened his headband. "You think you got what it takes now? After all this time?"

"I've gotten stronger from our time together." Hwa Jai replied. "I'm faster, more accurate. I probably don't even need my power juice to beat you!"

"Then it's time to walk the walk, baldy!"

 **FIGHT!**

A Muay Thai rematch many years in the making was finally underway. Joe Higashi and his enemy-turned-training partner circled each other, arms raised, light on one foot. Both of them watched with astute eyes, waiting for the chance to unleash some offense...

Joe unleashed first, throwing a hard leg kick to Hwa Jai's right calf, but the bald fighter lifted his leg and checked it, then immediately took advantage of Joe pulling his leg back to rush in with a vicious combination.

Joe took one to the face, and a hook to the body before Jai finished his brutal combo with a leg kick of his own. Joe absorbed the full force of it on his right knee; although he didn't buckle, the pain hit him full force.

Hwa Jai grew bolder, barreling forward with his fists flying. Joe immediately tied him up with the Plum Clinch and softened up his midsection with sharp, stinging knees. Jai felt the air leave him, and he began panicking, attempting to pull his head away from Joe's clinch... but that only made it worse. As he tried to distance himself, he exposed his face and Joe began slashing him with murderous elbows.

Before the desperate Jai was able to get away, a deep cut opened up under his eye and immediately began spurting blood, courtesy of Joe's machete-like elbows. Bleeding and disoriented, Jai backed right into Joe's kicking range... and Higashi made him pay for it.

The crowd roared with cheer when Joe dropped Hwa Jai with the most picture-perfect roundhouse, right to the temple. Hwa Jai's legs folded, his body slumping over like a puppet with no strings.

"Damn, Joe! Nice hit!" Terry screamed, leaning forward. But he forgot his arm was around Mary, and he accidentally pulled the blonde forward with him.

"That's gotta be it. No way Jai gets up from that." Andy predicted.

...But to Joe's amazement, his rival SPRANG back up a second later. Somehow, his brain was still awake, commanding his body to rise back up and retaliate.

"What the... how are you still-OOOF!"

Hwa Jai buried his heel in Joe's liver, making Higashi's body seize up until he was forced to turtle. The bald man pressed forward, unleashing hell on his exposed areas. Temple, ribs... Joe's arms couldn't cover up ALL of him.

Maintaining his calm, Joe anticipated Jai's next strike and quickly timed it to seize him in the Plum Clinch once again. Hands interlaced around the back of his neck, Joe jerked his head down and smashed his nose with a bone-breaking knee.

"AUUGH!" Jai cried out upon feeling his nose cave inwards, blood immediately flowing. He hissed with fury as he retaliated by drawing his elbow back and letting it fly across Joe's face, connecting between his eyes. Joe felt a rush of warmth, followed by the trickling of wetness... and he knew he was opened up too.

"Shit, there's gonna be a lot of cleanup after this..." Chizuru grumbled.

Hwa Jai pumped three punches into his ribcage... before Joe got a little creative. A wild, desperate move, Joe spun around 360 and let the tip of his elbow slam into Hwa Jai's face. The spinning elbow worked wonders, sending the bald man backwards on legs of gelatin.

"NICE ONE JOE! SPINNING ELBOW FOR THE WIN!" Andy barked.

...But that was only part 1 of the sweet deal. Since Hwa Jai was backing so far away, Joe had sufficient room to finally pull of one of his deadly techniques.

"SLASH KICK!" he boomed as his body shot forward like a rocket, foot extended, and sent Hwa Jai flying with a tremendous impact to his chest.

The bald man tumbled across the ground, rolling like an unraveling carpet before his body finally stopped.

Joe wanted to pursue... but he was so tired, he elected to stand still and catch his breath. The truth is, he was silently praying Hwa Jai would stay down; he knew the man still had his trump card, and Joe was exhausted...

...But life is not a fairy tale. Hwa Jai did indeed get up, albeit bloody and battered, legs barely under him. He reached a trembling hand into his pants... and produced the glass bottle Joe feared the most.

"Gulp...gulp...gulp...gulp...ahhhhhh! Much better...!"

Hwa Jai threw the bottle into the air and met it with a high kick, shattering it to bits with a grin of bloodlust on his face. His eyes focused on Joe as his muscles bulged, veins protruding, and his skin began to, once again, turn as crimson as the blood stained upon the ground.

"THE POWER IS MIIIIIIINE! YOU'RE DONE, JOE! HAHAHAHAHAAAA!"

Joe had to act fast. A pissed off, methed out Hwa Jai was coming at him, his body coursing with chi, preparing to finish him. His forward momentum was incredibly fast; there's no way he could dodge an attack as fast as he was coming, and a well-placed shot would put him out like running headfirst into a brick wall.

...Joe still had his desperation move. It would take the rest of his energy, possibly making him collapse from exhaustion... but as long as he stayed on his feet long enough to be declared the winner, he'd have a first-class ticket to Round 3.

With this realization... Joe did not hesitate. Even if he passed out, he would put everything into this one attack.

"SCREW UPPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Joe lunged in and threw an uppercut to the skies above, unleashing a grand, fiery tempest of blazing terror. It towered above all other tornadoes before it, swirling with incredible speed and traveling at legendary magnitude. It was his finest Screw Upper ever.

Hwa Jai couldn't hit the brakes. He ran headfirst into the gigantic whirlwind, being sucked into its fiery grasp and sent into the wildest, most painful ride of his life. His body was torn apart, bashed, battered, stretched like taffy, sent every which way, bounced around like a pinball, tossed into next week.

When Joe's mighty whirlwind subsided, Hwa Jai was plummeting towards Earth. He still LOOKED conscious... somehow. Luckily, Joe had a solution for that; Like bouncing a descending volley ball in mid-air, Joe leaped up and met his face with a flying knee just as his body came into vicinity.

An unconscious Hwa Jai hit the ground, while Joe landed perfectly on his feet. He wobbled a few times... but he summoned all his strength to stay standing a few seconds longer.

 **WINNER: JOE HIGASHI**

"YEEEEAH JOE! LONE WOLVES UNDEFEATED!" Terry cheered.

"Huff...huff... Terry... Andy... come get me..." Joe wheezed. He knew they couldn't actually hear him, but hopefully they had enough observational skills to deduce that he could barely stay on his feet right now.

Thankfully, they got the message. They noticed Joe wobbling, barely staying upright, and the Bogard brothers ran out there to grab and support him.

"Easy Joe, easy." Terry calmed. "You did great, man."

Joe grinned. "Heh heh... I made it to Round 3... before you guys. Now who's... the jobber... hahahaha..."

"Tch, you snarky little bastard." Terry laughed. "You better pray I don't get to Round 3, or I'll stomp your smug ass."

"Wait for us, okay Joe?" Andy reassured, patting his friend's shoulder. "Get a nice rest at the hospital. We'll meet you in Round 3."

Joe managed to produce a weak little thumbs up. "That's a...deal... amigos..."

With those last words, Joe fell asleep. No doubt, he would have a glorious nap and probably wake up starving.

"Alright, alright, everybody clear out!" Chizuru commanded, approaching them and shooing them away "We can't continue with all this blood everywhere. Everybody take five!"

The fight ended with the paramedics coming to take Joe and Hwa Jai away, and Chizuru forced to call a cleanup crew to wash the blood-soaked battlefield.

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #6: YUKI VS RAMON**

The luchador lunged with a left hook, then followed up with a spinning forearm. But Yuki sequentially swayed left and backpedaled to dodge the respective attacks.

Ramon didn't stop; he dived in recklessly and planted a foot in Yuki's chest, falling to the ground from his own wild dropkick.

Yuki was slightly stunned, but shook it off in seconds. As Ramon got back to his feet, he smiled and raised his fists, addressing the wrestler:

"Let's keep this clean, alright? I don't wanna put poor Chizuru to work again."

Ramon laughed. "Hahahaha! Don't worry kid; my trade is breaking bones, not spilling blood. You ready to continue?"

Yuki's response was to bring his fists crashing together: his watches lit up, sending blue energy coursing into his hands, strengthening his blows.

"Ready when you are!" Yuki declared.

Ramon charged at Yuki and leaped high into the air, raising his arm above his head. He came down on the agent, raining on his crown with an almighty forearm smash.

Yuki was brought to one knee from the force of the blow, but he rose up seconds later with an uppercut to pay Ramon back. With his technology strengthening his punches, a pretty blue trail of energy followed his fist as it smashed into Ramon's chin and sent the luchador on his back.

Ramon sprang up to his feet, massaging his chin... and the wrestler was all smiles. He was having the time of his life.

The wrestler flew in with his boot aimed at Yuki's face, but the agent raised his fists and a blue forcefield bounced Ramon off of him. He followed up by attempting to take Yuki's head off with a backhanded forearm, but the agent ducked under his wild swing.

Yuki tried something new... and painful. Part 1 of his attack was slamming his fist into Ramon's stomach, stunning the wrestler hard and putting him at Yuki's mercy.

...But Yuki's fist stayed there for Part 2. His watch glowed bright as Yuki fired off a blue energy blast, point-blank into Ramon's stomach, where his fist resided. Ramon was blown backwards, getting a few seconds of air before landing facefirst. Thankfully, he cushioned his facial impact with his arms.

"Ungh... nice hit, kid." Ramon groaned, still smiling as he got back up.

The two charged at each other with aggressive intent... but Yuki cleverly got the better of the exchange. He went low, firing off a large blue beam behind him to rocket his body forward. He slid into Ramon's legs, knocking the wrestler down like a bowling pin as Yuki safely emerged on the other side.

Ramon angrily leaped back up and charged at Yuki with a flurry of punches, finishing with a spinning back kick. But Yuki parried his punches with his fists and twisted his body at an angle so the kick didn't hit a vital area.

Yuki countered Ramon swiftly and mercilessly with an energy-charged haymaker to the cheek, knocking the wrestler on his back feet. He continued his assault by lunging in with his fist drawn back, glowing immensely with an energy field surrounding it. That fist found his stomach, putting Ramon in even worse shape.

As the luchador hunched over in pain, chin exposed, Yuki uppercut him and sent him into the air. But he still wasn't done... this devastating combo had a painful finale.

As Ramon's body was in mid-air... Yuki trashed him with a signature move.

"SUBMARINE SCREW!"

Yuki lunged forward and swung at the sky. But what followed was no mere fist; his watch produced a large explosion of azure energy that shot diagonal and battered Ramon as he fell.

Ramon looked like he was going to get up for a second... but as he tried to lift his body, he just slumped back over and went flat. That was the end of it.

 **WINNER: YUKI**

"Agh... dammit... welp, that's that." Ramon cursed. Although the wrestler was slightly angry and immensely disappointed that he was so easily destroyed in Round 2... the smile still couldn't stay away from his lips. Whether he was dishing out the pain or taking it, Ramon was a true sportsman.

Striking a heroic pose for the crowd, Yuki grinned as Ai ran out to meet him. Upon reaching her partner, she threw herself against him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Great fight, Yuki! You're the best~"

"Guess we have to stick around a little longer, Ai." Yuki teased. "Sorry you won't be able to get back to your videogames yet."

Ai stuck her tongue out. "Don't worry, I know you'll lose eventually."

"H-hey! Thanks for the vote of confidence!"

Meanwhile, Seth and Vanessa came out to meet Ramon. The big man lifted the luchador back to his feet, patting him on the back.

"There ya go, buddy. Wow, he really wrecked you." Seth laughed.

"Take it easy now, Seth." Vanessa warned. "Or I may have to reference the fact that we made it to Round 2 and you didn't."

"Oops! Too late!" Ramon laughed at he playfully slapped Seth's chest.

The man gave a slight scowl. "Ugh. Let's just get out of here."

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #7: YURI SAKAZAKI VS RYUJI YAMAZAKI**

The last hope for the OG Women's Team, Yuri had tremendous adversity to overcome in the form of Japan's resident thug, Yamazaki. Despite a lack of proper martial arts discipline, Yamazaki had his own arsenal of tricks, brutality and mental warfare to make him a terrifying and intimidating opponent. As shown in the Sinclair fight... he could break even the coldest, most hardened of killers.

"Just you and me now, baby shakes." Yamazaki grinned, giving Yuri a little air-kissing gesture with his lips.

Yuri immediately turned away in disgust. "Ugh! Why do I always attract the biggest creeps? No offense Ryuji, but you look like a man who likes em young."

The thug rolled his eyes. "Keep talking to me like that, and I'll send you back to Robbie in pieces. Now come on, little girl."

 **FIGHT!**

Just like last time, Yamazaki had no sense of urgency or even an inclination to protect himself. He just stood there, one hand sheathed in his pocket, the other one raised upwards as he nonchalantly flexed his fingers. He had no teeth-baring grin, electing for a more sly curving of lips as he stared deviously into Yuri's eyes.

...But Yuri was one girl he wouldn't break. She had too much spunk, too much attitude... and too much heart. A girl with her level of passion wouldn't be beaten by simple mind tricks.

Treating Ryuji like she would any other opponent, Yuri rushed in with her fists cocked. As she closed in on the stationary man, she literally leaped forward to reach his face with her tremendous left hook.

But the ever-cool Ryuji merely swayed his head backwards and the fist whizzed past his nose.

The angry Yuri threw a low kick, connecting clean on his right leg, but he seemed completely unfazed by it. Gritting her teeth hard, she curved a right hook towards his liver... but he smacked her fist aside with the back of his hand.

Unleashing his pocketed hand, he grabbed her face with curled fingers, smothering her face with his palm. With a slight push, he shoved the petite Yuri backwards. Since she was quite light, he was able to easily push her with just a minimal flick of his wrist.

Just as the stumbling Yuri was able to regain her footing, she looked up only to receive Ryuji's sole crashing into her stomach.

"OUUUuuuuuf...!" she doubled over, clutching her afflicted area in pain before collapsing on her knees.

But Yamazaki wasn't done with her. Clutching her ponytail, he snatched her back upwards, earning a pained yelp from the brunette.

Instead of hitting her, Ryuji elected to sling her by her hair. The girl was thrown forward at uncomfortable speed, her struggling feet only keeping her upright for a few seconds before she lost balance and fell on her face.

For her troubles, Yuri received another gift: the tip of his shoe sailing into her ribs. That forced her to forget about the stinging pain of having her hair pulled, and focus on the now-intense shooting pain to her side, which she could only curl into a ball to try and stifle.

"Heh heh! HA HA HA HA! You're like a little toy!" Yamazaki laughed giddily at how easily he was able to throw Yuri around and have his way with her.

"Damn it..." Robert spat. "YURI! DON'T GIVE UP, BABY! YOU GOT THIS!"

Upon hearing her boyfriend's supportive voice, Yuri angrily brought her fist against the ground and summoned the will to roll herself to a safe distance. Luckily, Yamazaki didn't pursue; he just stood there, the grin widening on his face now to the extent that he finally showed teeth. His eyes were also getting a little... crazier. Not full-on maniacal, but getting there...

Yuri sprinted at him, circling the stationary man to try and throw him off. Ryuji followed her movements pretty easily, still without moving his feet from that spot.

Finally, Yuri lunged in from his left side with her right fist raised, and unleashed it into his cheek.

...But oddly, he allowed her fist to slam into him. Much to her befuddlement, her attack connected as hard and clean as any punch she's ever thrown.

"Wh-wha...?"

Ryuji was laughing. Laughing, as her knuckles buried into his cheek. Laughing, as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth where his tooth had cut his skin.

The next thing Yuri knew, a crazed grin formed as he snapped his head sideways to face her, bloodshot eyes peering into her confused and uncomfortable ones.

"G-guh!" Yuri panicked and threw an uppercut, hitting his chin clean and snapping his head back. The man stood there like a zombie, knees bent, arm drooping like a limp noodle, head still drawn backwards as his body curved...

"Heh heh heh... heheheheheheheheheeeeeeeeee..."

The psychopath's head slumped forward, hanging downwards... until he abruptly raised it and looked into Yuri's creeped-out eyes with his tongue flailing and irises quivering.

"Ewwwww...!" Yuri squealed.

"Fufufufufufufufufu... hit me more, girly! Put your back into it!" he laughed.

"Ugh! With pleasure!" Yuri growled.

Yuri ripped his body with a right, then followed up with a high left behind it. The right connected, but Yamazaki turned to the side and absorbed the left hit with his bicep.

"I'll hit you somewhere you really won't like!" Yuri threatened.

Sure enough, the Kyokugen girl had a target in mind: a Karate front kick to his balls.

Yamazaki still wasn't insane or masochistic enough to allow THAT one; before her foot could reach, he extended his hand to seize her ankle mid-flight. He held her there, forcing Yuri to hop on one leg to keep her balance.

"Sh-shit...!"

"Heh heh! Dance for me girly!" Yamazaki teased.

"Agh! Grrr... stop... mocking... ME!"

Deciding enough was enough, Yuri abandoned technique to leap up and bury her free foot in Yamazaki's face. The force was enough to make him let go, and she gracefully backflipped in the air to stick the landing.

Taking advantage of her momentum, Yuri ran forward and connected on his sternum with her shin. She spun around and tried to go high to his face, but Yamazaki swayed his head to dodge her foot. She continued the pressure by going low once more to his leg... but Yamazaki intercepted her kick by stomping her stationary leg. As she was in the middle of throwing a kick, Yuri was at her most unbalanced, and Yamazaki's foot crashing into her easily knocked her leg out and sent her to the ground hard. She landed uncomfortably on her knee, as she had tried to bring it back to cushion the fall.

Yamazaki could tell she was in pain as she rose upwards, her face twisting as she sucked air through her teeth. Her stance was a little shaky, a lot of weight being put on one side to stifle the obvious hurt.

"Damn, Yuri's in bad shape..." Ryo fretted.

"Sh-shut up man! She'll get through this... sh-she has to!" Robert tried hard to remain confident.

Despite her injury, Yuri did still look raring to go. Her face hadn't lost any fire, her fists still clenched and raised. If she didn't have such an obvious limp, one would think she was still 100%.

Unfortunately, Yamazaki didn't look any worse for wear either. He was still all smiles, despite the blood trailing down his lip. He still had his trademark hand in his pocket, and the other one extending a finger to beckon Yuri forward.

"Alright, Chuckles... here I come!" Yuri declared.

But Yamazaki merely let out a yawn... and that pissed Yuri off even more.

"YAAAAAAAAAAH!"

...But the overzealous Yuri was a pawn in his game right now. He WANTED her to rush towards him... because he was done holding back the hand that craved blood.

SWOOOSH!

It came out like it always did: flexible, unnaturally fast, blinding to the naked eye. The crowd could only see a blur; Yuri could only feel an incredibly hard impact square in her face that knocked her on her butt.

And, just like last time, when the floored opponent got back to her feet... he was just standing there, hand in his pocket, like he had never moved that hand at all. It was surreal, supernatural... and only Yamazaki possessed this one-of-a-kind ability.

Yuri shook her head and leaped back up, running forward... only to receive the same thing once again. This one didn't knock her down; just stopped her dead in her tracks and wobbled her a few times. Once she regained herself... she brought her foot against the ground, stomping repeatedly with fury!

"GRRR! DamnitdamnitdamnitDAMNIT!"

"Damn that hand!" Robert cursed.

"Focus, Yuri! Don't let your anger make you sloppy!" Ryo coached.

...But it was no use. Yamazaki had gotten in her head big time. Fear, anger... there was no difference. He instilled emotions in his opponents that made their nerves rattle, their technique and strategy falter... he could scare someone into panicking or piss someone off so much that they abandon strategy to try and knock his head off. For Yuri Sakazaki, he had done the latter.

"Huff... huff... dammit... I'm... NOT GONNA LOSE THIS!" Yuri screamed to the heavens above.

Yamazaki shook his head. "Tsk tsk tsk... I really thought I had you by now. You're a tricky little brat. Very well then..."

Yuri felt her heart sink into her stomach when Yamazaki pulled his hand out... carrying a bladed object in its grasp. Her nerves sharpened to needles, her body freezing up.

"H-hey! W-watch the knife...!" she stammered, backing up a few feet, her hands up in instinctive defense.

"Ryuji! DON'T YOU DARE CUT MY SISTER!" Ryo threatened.

"Huh? What'd you say?" Yamazaki put a hand to his ear, that shit-eating grin still on his face.

"I MEAN IT! I'LL COME DOWN THERE!"

"Ch-Chizuru won't let this happen! R-right...?!" Robert was starting to panic a little as well.

"Alright alright! I promise I won't cut your sister! The knife won't even touch her skin." Yamazaki grinned.

SWOOOOSH!

No sooner than he got those words out... his hand went forward at lightning speed: the same hand that had the knife in it.

The Coliseum fell dead with silence upon seeing the attack. Chizuru leaped to her feet, her hand on her chest, sweat already pouring.

"That son of a... he didn't!" she hissed.

"How dreadfully uncouth!" Rose growled.

Ryo and Robert were also on their feet, their instincts screaming at them to leap from the stands and go out there. But, that little hint of hesitation inside them stopped them; they could only freeze, watching on with horror as Yuri stood there completely still. W-was she...?

And then... the most massive collective sigh of relief ever to be uttered among 80,000 people. There was no blood, no cleaving of flesh... but Yuri's favorite headband fell to the ground in pieces.

"WAAAAAAAH! MY HEADBAND!"

SWOOOOOSH!

Before she even had time to mourn it, Yamazaki's arm whipped forward again: this time towards her chest.

This tournament had gone far beyond family friendly... and this only added to the fire. Before 80,000 eyes, Yuri's top was sliced clean open, even her bra not spared.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

The poor girl had to act fast to cover up, modesty her first instinct even over defending herself. She was completely and utterly vulnerable at this moment; hell, if he wanted to, Ryuji could walk right up to her and clock her. She seemed more focused on hiding her nudity than fighting, which essentially meant she was done.

...But Yamazaki surprisingly did not capitalize on this. He continued to just stand there, grinning, now just playing with the knife in his hand instead of focusing on the fight. It's like neither one of them was even in the game anymore...

...Until one of them was.

"DAMN YOU! YOU F***ING CREEP!" Yuri angrily spouted. "I'M GONNA TEACH YOU A LESSON! I'M GONNA MAKE YOU MISERABLE! YOU'LL REGRET THE DAY YOU WERE BORN!"

"Hit me then." was Yamazaki's sly, ever-articulate comeback.

"I'M GONNA F***ING RIP YOUR HEART OUT!"

"Hit me."

"YOU WILL CHOKE ON YOUR OWN INTERNAL ORGANS!"

"Hit me."

"AND WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU, ROBBIE AND MY BIG BROTHER WILL CURB STOMP YOUR CORPSE!"

"Hit me."

"HAOH SHO KOH KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

Ryo and Robert didn't even have time to say "don't". Yuri's launching of her giant pink fireball was so sudden, so spontaneous... nobody could have warned her or ever had the possibility of stopping her. She launched it at him... and sealed her fate as quickly as a blinking eye.

This was Ryuji's game. This is what he did: get in people's head, make them flustered or afraid or angry, and do exactly what he wants them to do. And in this case... he wanted Yuri to shoot her gigantic fireball at him.

The big ball of energy soared towards him, massive in size and force. It could swallow a man whole, obliterate them with one fell swoop. Little did Yuri know, Yamazaki's snake arm had a nasty technique that made fireballs essentially useless against him.

SWOOOSWOOOOOOOSH!

Like a magician's sleight of hand, Yamazaki whipped his arm outwards and snatched her fireball out of thin air. And then, whipping that same arm forward... he threw it back at her at twice the speed.

The bamboozled Yuri had no chance to dodge it; it came at her like a car going 120 on the freeway. Her own weapon of mass destruction engulfed her, frying her with her own energy. A huge pink explosion covered the area where she once stood.

"YURIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Ryo and Robert screamed in unison.

When the smoke cleared... their adorable little counterpart was twitching on the ground, her clothing exploded. The only thing she was left wearing were her undies and a bra that was sliced down the middle. She was immobilized from the pain, unable to even cover herself up. She just laid there, sizzling like a piece of burnt toast.

 **WINNER: RYUJI YAMAZAKI**

The thug didn't stick around; dusting his hands off, he licked the blood from his mouth and strutted away.

"YURI!" Robert and Ryo wasted no time running out there and scooping her up.

"Speak to me, Yuri! Speak to me!" Robert pleaded.

"Ungh... I'm fine... Robbie..." Yuri groaned weakly. "Gah... I'm just angry is all. I let my emotions make me sloppy... cough cough..."

"It's okay, Yuri. You did awesome. Your big brother is proud of you." Ryo soothed, gently stroking her face.

Chizuru and the paramedics quickly ran out to meet her, Chizuru with a large cloth to cover her with.

"We'll take it from here. Yuri sweetie, the paramedics will take you now. Okay?"

"Ungh... gotcha." Yuri flashed a thumbs up. "You two come and see me after your fights, okay? And... ugh... don't lose!"

Ryo and Robert somberly waved goodbye as the truck took their adorable heroine away. The beloved original Women's Team was officially toast.

 **Back in Fatal Fury 3, when Yamazaki was a sub boss, he could snatch your fireball out of the air and throw one back at you twice as big. It was so incredibly badass to watch.**

 **That's it for this week. Sorry if the quality is a little off, but I haven't really gotten to the fun stuff yet. There was still a teeny bit of fodder to clear out lol. (Ryoko)**

 **Until next time! Bye guys!**


	19. Chapter 19: Round 2, pt 3

**This story has officially lost its strongest supporter: Rex Madison. He wiped his account and left for AO3 because of the stupid hacking problems the website has suffered recently.**

 **The weight of losing Rex cannot possibly be measured. It's a huge, crippling blow to my morale. It's made me question my ability to finish the story. So, to the hacker assholes out there who screwed with the website and drove good people to leave... I hope you're happy. You've caused a lot of grief to honest, hardworking, passionate writers.**

 **I need you all now, more than ever. You're the strength that helps me carry on.**

 **Author's Pick: For the record... I still hate Shingo.**

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #8: TERRY BOGARD VS VANESSA**

"Let's go, Bogard! Cmon!" Vanessa boldly challenged, protruding her fists. "I'm not scared of your Power Geyser. Why don't you show me how you throw hands?"

Terry nodded, tilting his cap. "Very well then, Miss Boxer. You'll find that the two of us have a striking difference: I'm not a one-trick pony."

 **FIGHT!**

Terry put up his dukes and pressed forward, but Vanessa immediately started piecing him up with jabs. A quick jab found his nose. Another sent his head backwards. A third one hit, and she followed up with a straight haymaker behind it that crashed into his eye. Vanessa was coming out fast and aggressive, and Terry could already feel his brain bouncing around in his skull. He had to stop her...

Vanessa tried to close in, but this time Terry stopped her advance with a clean kick to her stomach. He quickly brought his leg back and charged with a combination of body punches, before finally going high with a vengeful left hook. The body strikes softened her up a little, but Vanessa defended well against that last punch by bringing her arms up high.

Terry backed up a few steps to get decent kicking range, then pressed the assault with a spinning kick to her midsection. While Vanessa did block well, Terry was a much larger man and he still sent her stumbling. This allowed him the range for a deadly follow-up.

"BURN KNUCKLE!" Terry's signature attack flew swift and deadly, his fist emblazoned with chi smashing into her and giving Vanessa a reunion with the dirt.

"Agh... cough cough... shit..." Vanessa cursed as she slowly rose, straightening her clothing a bit. She turned to face Bogard once again, fists still raised with determination. That last one hurt her pretty bad, but damned if she was going to show it.

Vanessa charged forward with dizzying hand speed. Tried as he did, Terry failed to block all of her incoming punches as she threw them. He blocked two to the body, but took a hard one to the face. He blocked a high left, but a right hook struck his ribs. He blocked a high and then quickly parried a low, but a vicious 1-2 rattled his head and sent his vision blurry. For every one he repelled, five more took its place. Her hands were the stuff of legend.

"Gotta stop this onslaught... time to play to my strengths..." Terry muttered.

A huge right hand knocked his head back, his cap flying off and landing far out of reach. That's when Terry finally sprang into action to stop her onslaught.

Vision blurry and relying solely on instinct, Terry ducked the next punch and barreled into her, pressing his body tight against her to nullify her range. But despite even this, Vanessa continued to defy him. Whether it was afar or close range, Vanessa was well-versed in all aspects of the sophisticated art of punching.

Up close and personal, Terry's body got a taste of Vanessa's dirty boxing. Using her knees and elbows to pry him loose, she tenderized his midsection with short punches. Although she had barely any room to work... each one still felt like a bowling ball to his insides.

"Uuuuf! OouuugH! Oooof! Damn, you're persistent..." Terry hissed between receiving punches.

Finally, desperation and an adrenaline burst granted Terry the strength to end the suffering. Snatching Vanessa's shirt with both hands, he kicked her foot loose to break her foundation, lifted her high above his head... and slammed her against the ground.

"UNnnnnngh...!" Vanessa's whimper of pain was weak, airy... almost a simple gasp. Her head thankfully didn't hit the ground, but everything from the shoulders down immediately flared up with a pain so intense, it prevented her from attempting to get back up.

And Terry had a big, nasty surprise in store for the grounded Vanessa.

"POWAH GESYEEEEEEEEER!"

Vanessa barely had a chance to get acquainted with the ground, for Terry slammed his fist into the Earth and sent her on a very unpleasant journey into the stratosphere.

The yellow chi energy shot upwards DIRECTLY underneath her, launching her sky high like a model rocket ascending at a science fair. Not only was she utterly devastated by the raw power of Terry's chi... her body would have an unpleasant meeting with the ground when she landed.

THUD!

Upon hitting the ground, Vanessa howled in pain, rolling over on her stomach and turtling up. Something seemed off... and Terry finally realized what it was when a string of curses spilled out.

"AHHH! God damn son of a bitch! AHHH! F***! SHIT! MY F***ING..."

She didn't finish that sentence, but Terry put 2 and 2 together when she surprisingly got back to her feet. That mere realization alone was mind-boggling for Terry, who thought for sure he had finished her off with that combo a second ago, but his attention was focused elsewhere at the immediate moment.

Vanessa couldn't even look forward, much less stand up straight; she was hunched over, right hand fiercely gripping her left arm.

"Ah... damn it..." she hissed. "My f***ing shoulder is out. Agh...!"

"Then we're done here." Terry sternly declared, folding his arms.

"No we're not!" Vanessa fired back. "Agh...!"

She tried to be assertive, but Terry couldn't take her seriously with her clutching her left side in absolute anguish. His combative instincts had already taken a nap, his protective ones now stepping in to play.

"This is over. I'm not gonna fight you like this."

Despite her grimace, Vanessa grinned through clenched teeth. "What's the matter, Bogard? Afraid to hit a woman?"

"No. But I'm not hitting a woman whose arm isn't even in her damn socket." Terry fired back. "Enough of this! We're done!"

Vanessa mustered up the strength to stand up straight, her proud eyes glaring into his sympathetic ones.

"...If you forfeit, I win this thing. So make a choice, Bogard. Are we gonna continue? Because I'm not quitting."

"I'm not going to forfeit. You are." Terry asserted. "Because you're smart. You know you have more important things in life than this contest. You've got a family to go home to. You know you don't have a chance of winning at this point, with one eye swollen shut and one arm useless. So you're gonna do the right thing... and protect your health."

Trumped by his logic, the boxing agent could only scowl in defiance as her mind struggled with this unfortunate reality. He was absolutely right: she was done for at this point, even if Terry forfeited and let her move on. The next guy would just obliterate her, with her unable to offer a decent resistance in her state.

The tense staredown was at last broken when Vanessa's anguished expression formed a smile.

"...Fine. You win."

 **WINNER: TERRY BOGARD**

"You know, you're alright Bogard." Vanessa's attitude quickly went from competitive to flirty. "If I wasn't a married woman..."

"Don't let Mary hear that." Terry played along, a smile on his face now as well.

"Look me up after Round 2, kay? I owe you a drink."

Terry grinned. "You know we drink for free, right? You better owe me something different."

Vanessa smirked. "I dunno how Mary puts up with you. You got looks and that's it."

An eventful victory for Terry Bogard put the Lone Wolves up 2-0. Would they once again go undefeated in this round? That would remain to be seen, for another fun and dynamic brawl was about to commence...

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #9: SHINGO YABUKI VS BRIAN BATTLER**

The American Team finally stood a ghost of a chance, its last hope residing in football jock Brian Battler. Victory, and perhaps the respect they finally deserve, all fell on his big, beefy shoulders.

But his thirst for a rise from mediocrity would be met by the youthful ambition of everyman Shingo Yabuki, perhaps one who could relate when it came to being... not so spectacular.

The two fighters met in the ring, Brian towering above him, grinning as he cracked his knuckles.

...And Shingo had this dopey look of amazement. His eyes widened, his jaw drooping like an idiot. And his articulate first words were:

"...Holy shit, you're big up close."

Brian raised an eyebrow. "Uhhh... okay? You ready to do this, little man?"

Shingo snapped out of his funk and put on a determined face. "AWWWWWW YEAH! You bet I'm ready, buddy! This fight is not going to overtime! You're about to get benched! I'm gonna... uh... spike your...head... like a... uhhhh... I'm gonna... get a... safety... on... you?"

Brian stood there, amazed by how dumb that was. "Dude... leave the football puns to me."

"Yes sir."

 **FIGHT!**

Before Shingo could even raise his fist, Brian plowed into Shingo's lower half with his immense strength, lifting him high above his head and bringing Shingo crashing to the ground.

"OOOF! Damn, that was fast...!" Shingo chuckled awkwardly as he stared at the massive football player currently on top of him.

Fully mounted on him, Brian started dropping bombs in the form of huge knuckles that could crack a coconut.

"GAAAH!" Shingo shifted his head left and right, just barely avoiding the brutal punches crashing all around him.

"Gotta get off... gotta get off... gotta get off...!"

Shingo wasn't an experienced Judoka or a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt... but he did have two arms and two hands. And use them, he did; he opened his hands wide and slammed his palms into Brian's ears, immediately halting the jock's fury and disorienting him.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaah!" he clutched his head in pain, his ears ringing, his rather minuscule brain vibrating in his skull.

With a grin, Shingo followed up to finally get Brian off of him: drawing his arm back, he let his elbow curve forward and crash into his jaw. Saliva flew from Brian's mouth as he was painfully ejected from atop Shingo, tumbling sideways to the ground and granting the kid allowance back to his feet.

"WOOHOO! FREEDOOOOOOM!" Shingo pumped his fist in the air, easily satisfied with just making it this far, it seems.

Brian growled as he got back up, rubbing his afflicted area. "Enjoy it while it lasts!"

Brian got down low, like a linebacker preparing to charge. He shot forward, like a race horse out of the gate, and attempted to plow into Shingo once again.

"Not this time! SHINGO KICK!"

Shingo cleverly met his attack with a perfect counter: his signature flying kick which smashed the top of his head and sent Brian tumbling forward to an inevitable faceplant.

The burly football player was rattled, but angrily leaped up and came at Shingo once again. He threw a very huge, very sloppy right hand, which Shingo was wise to duck underneath, but he followed up with his left which he elected to pump into Shingo's stomach.

"HNNRG! Gah that smarts!" Shingo wheezed as his butt hit the ground.

But the energetic youth wasn't down for long; he sprang back up with pep in his step, and a huge smile on his face. Brian was a little thrown off by this; was he... ENJOYING getting hit?"

The football player's thoughts were interrupted by Shingo's fist finding his cheek, followed by a second fist catching him clean on the chin.

"ARGH!" Brian grunted as he retaliated with another massive looping hook. Shingo ducked it and threw a hard one to his abdomen, which had little effect on his thick physique.

"D-damn! What are your abs made of?!" Shingo whined as he flailed his hand with discomfort.

"Focus on my FIST instead!" Brian bellowed as he lunged and threw a straight left... which hit Shingo right on the button.

Shingo fell over, his eyes rolling, his brain bouncing... but he was once again up a second later. His smile was even WIDER.

"WOOOO! Yeah! Nice hit, buddy! Alright!" Shingo clapped his hands, actually applauding his enemy.

Brian was dumbfounded. "...You weird ass ki-OOGH!"

Shingo connected to his ribs with a kick, then continued the combo with a 1-2 that sent Brian's face sideways and his feet erratic. The footballer once AGAIN countered with a perfect hook that blasted Shingo off his feet... but again, the kid rose up and laughed.

"You really hit hard, man! I'd hate to be on a field with ya!"

"This f***ing kid..." Brian muttered to himself. He was starting to feel a little discouraged; he had hit Shingo with his most powerful punches, but the kid always got back up and hit him back. He was getting tired, and he had no way of knowing if Shingo was on shaky legs or not. The kid was just... a sponge!

"Come on, meathead! COME ON!" Shingo snapped him out of it.

Shingo danced around him, fists raised, peppering his face with a jab here and there. Brian was following his movements, trying to match his rhythm... but Shingo was an annoying little fly. He kept circling around, and his jabs kept finding Brian's chin and nose.

Another jab shot forward and crashed into Brian's left eye, darkening his vision by half. That's when he got desperate.

"Alright, time to get this back to the ground. HUT!"

Brian charged at Shingo shoulder-first, intending to plow into him and smother the smaller kid with his massive body. Shingo saw him coming, and his face twisted into panic; he must have failed to prepare for it!

"GAAH! Uh, ahhh uhhh... sh-SHIT! WHOOPSIE!"

Shingo's attempt to dive out of the way ended with... a rather strange outcome. As his body was leaping to the side, he miscalculated and his feet ended up sticking out a few inches too far. Brian ran right into them... and that threw his plans off big time.

"AGH! WhoaaaaHHHHHH!"

Brian's crash was pretty intense, as a result of his speed. Shingo rolled over and witnessed him facefirst on the ground... and he knew he had been granted the biggest of ex machinas.

"Ha... ha ha ha... HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! OHHH YEAH!"

The quirky kid started dancing in the middle of the ring, before 80,000 embarrassed eyes. He was celebrating prematurely, not even smart enough to properly check his opponent. It wasn't until he saw a looming shadow behind him that he realized Brian had got back up...

"WHOOA!" Shingo spun around just in time to dodge Brian's right fist. The athlete pushed forward with a massive left behind it, which Shingo leaped back to avoid. Brian was pissed off, his forehead bleeding, his left eye swollen. He looked ready to murder.

"ALRIGHT! Time to play this out in style!" Shingo declared. "Hope you're ready for this! This goes out to a couple of mates of mine!"

The energetic youth reached into his pocket, pulling out a strange little black object... which he discreetly slid into his glove.

"FIRST... THIS IS MY BENIMARU ELECTRIC FIST!"

Brian was too mind-boggled to dodge it. Shingo lunged in deep... and he planted a fist in Brian's gut.

"GUUUGHGHGHGHGHGGGLLLLLLL!" Brian started blubbering, sputtering... as 10,000 volts coursed through him. His nerves seized up, his muscles tensing... he definitely received the shock of his life.

"What in the... I wanna see some instant replay!" Chizuru bellowed.

The giant TV replayed Shingo's punch in slow motion... revealing that he had in fact stuffed inside his glove...

"...A taser?"

"Did he put a taser in his glove?!"

"What the hell?! Shingo just tased him?"

"C-can he do that?"

"Who the hell puts a taser in their...?!"

"NEXT!" Shingo declared, deaf to the controversy. "THIS IS MY KUSANAGI FLAME KICK!"

If Shingo was in a contest to continuously blow people's minds... he would be winning. For his next attack, the kid produced a molotov cocktail from his pants. Tilting the bottle to douse the rag, he whipped out a lighter and set it alight.

"WHAT THE HECK?!" Chizuru was livid right now at Shingo's sheer disregard for conduct...or maybe he was just an idiot.

Shingo threw the bottle into the air, aiming it so it would descend just a couple inches from Brian's face... and when the bottle reached its destination, Shingo met it with a perfectly accurate spinning kick.

The bottle exploded against Brian's face, a ball of flame scorching him as the blunt force knocked him on his ass.

"AUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHH!"

Brian didn't even have time to properly process the pain before Shingo was on him again. For this move... he didn't have any fancy weapons. He simply drew his hand back, curling his fingers...

"AND THIS IS... MY YAGAMI SLASH!"

Before the amazed and flabbergasted 80,000 eyes, Shingo unleashed his fingers across Brian's cheek. Four red claw marks were left behind, the skin tearing and producing blood to the surface.

"AHH! OWWW! YOU LITTLE PISSANT! DID YOU JUST CLAW ME?! Ahhh god dammit that stings!" Brian cursed, rolling around in pain. His head was far beyond in this fight, as he was completely and utterly stomped by Shingo's absurdity.

Shingo laughed as he presented his fingernails, which still had Brian's skin in them. "Heh heh! I haven't clipped them for two weeks!"

The youth got into a wide stance, his arms extended. "AND NOW THE FINALE... THIS IS... MY DAIMON JUDO THROW!"

...But this one, which Shingo hadn't actually practiced, ended in utter failure. Since he only knew any Judo from what he had watched Goro do, he had no actual knowledge and fell on his butt upon trying to hip toss the football player.

"...Ouch. Fail." Shingo laughed.

"I'm going to kill you, kid." Brian threatened. "I'm going to crush you, break all of your bones until you're flimsy and noodle-like, and then I'm gonna stuff you in a locker where no one will ever find you."

Intending to make good on his promise, Brian raised his fists above his head and intended to come down on Shingo's crown with an overhead smash.

...But Shingo had unwittingly bested Brian in the mental game. While the kid was goofing off and having fun, he had pissed Brian off so much that the jock abandoned his gameplan. No longer was Brian trying to take him down; right now he just wanted to punch his head off. His arms were above his head, his chin completely exposed, no way for him to defend himself.

As oblivious as Shingo was, he still had enough sense to notice. And he made Brian pay.

POWWWWWWWWW!

The uppercut was nothing short of spectacular. Shingo lunged, pivoted with his hip, pushed off with his knees... and brought his fist up at a 90 degree angle. He caught Brian as clean as one ever could; the athlete had never taken such a hit, even in his pro days.

Brian's attack never came; he instead fell backwards and crashed like the magic beanstalk itself. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, drool dripping from his open mouth.

 **WINNER: SHINGO YABUKI**

"The kid pulled it off again." Benimaru pointed out. "In style, too. Just listen to the crowd. They freaking love him."

"Yeah..." was Kyo's gloomy response.

"...You're not happy for him?" Beni asked.

"No, I am... I REALLY am." Kyo replied. "I imagine him winning this tournament, smoking me and everyone else, finally securing his place as the new generation... sigh... but it still feels off in the distance."

"You think he's not ready yet." Benimaru deduced.

Kyo nodded. "I wish I did. I really wish I did..."

Kusanagi looked back out in the ring, watching Shingo act like a total buffoon as he celebrated his victory. He was moonwalking, then transitioned into the robot, and the crowd was totally eating it up.

At that moment, Shingo actually succeeded in making Kyo smile again. He still didn't think Shingo was ready... but he was happy the kid could at least have this moment. Nobody could ever take it from him.

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #10: BLUE MARY VS LEONA HEIDERN**

Still vicariously high off of Terry's victory, Mary would love nothing more than to join her man in Round 3 with an impressive win... but an aloof, blue-haired soldier was not making it easy for her.

Mary clinched with her, arms around her head, attempting to pull down and bring her to the ground with a head-and-arm throw. But Leona was fighting against her every step of the way, the girl exerting defiant strength that forced Mary into a deadlock.

"UNGH! UNNNNGH!" Mary's lungs produced wheezed grunts as Leona continuously thrust knees into her stomach and ribs, sapping Mary's strength by the second and making it harder and harder to maintain the clinch. Mary was a pro at out-grappling people... but Leona's tenacity was a factor she'd underestimated.

Another knee landed flush in her solar plexus... and Mary's legs gave out. Her arms slipped from their grasp and she was forced to transition to a single-leg, wrapping them around Leona's left thigh in an attempt to take her down there instead.

But Leona demonstrated sufficient defense once again, knowledgeable enough to press her body weight on top of Mary to make it harder to lift her. But she didn't just stop there; Leona intended to punish her opponent, whose temple was exposed.

Mary's face was safe, but the side of her head was the recipient of Leona raining several sharp elbows upon it. The tip slammed deep into her temple, each one sending a jolt to her brain that made her lights flicker. With each elbow that impacted, it got worse: she stopped seeing black and started seeing colors. She HAD to break off, lest she go out cold right there...

With an aggravated grunt, Mary let go of Leona and attempted to stumble backwards to safety. But Leona didn't let her get far; she was a relentless killer, never wasting an opportunity to inflict damage.

As Mary's body separated from hers... Leona straightened her fingers and thrust them into Mary's ribcage, spearing her hard with her deadly stabbing technique. To any normal assailant, Leona would have run them through and kill them. But, since this was just a competition... Leona made sure it was only painful as hell.

"Auuuugh... ahhhhhhh..." Mary whimpered with pain, abandoning defense to put pressure on the flaring up area. She couldn't stay on her feet; she wanted to scrunch up as much as possible to somehow alleviate the screaming of her nervous system, as the sensation of white fire ran through her side.

"Shit... Mary..." Terry hung his head low. He tilted his cap to cover his face, lest anyone see his sorrow. Things were looking bleak indeed.

Leona didn't kick her while she was down; she respectfully backed away, to allow Mary back to her feet. It allowed her a good minute or so of respite, as Mary was struggling to stay upright big time.

"She's shutting down Mary's game perfectly." Ralf stated to the only other person there, Heidern. (Whip and Clark were still in the hospital)

"Yes." Heidern nodded, his response rather simple... but that was because he was admiring Leona's battle prowess intently.

Finally back on her feet, Mary approached on shaky legs and threw a side kick, which was only a setup to throw a straight left after it. Leona parried her kick easily, as Mary had lost a lot of power due to fatigue and pain. Mary's fist didn't go as fast as it could, allowing Leona to sidestep it and counter with a hard fist: directly in the area she had speared a minute ago.

"AHHHH! SHHHHHHHHHHHiiiiiiiiiiit...!" Mary hissed with pain as her body tensed up once more, instinctively trying to combat the creeping pain growing back to full force.

In her current state, she couldn't block Leona's shots for beans, allowing the soldier to easily deck her in the face with a follow-up. A hard right wobbled Mary... and a left hook dropped her the rest of the way.

"Damn it!" Terry cursed, removing his cap and slamming it down with fury. As much as he wanted someone to take his anger out on... he knew Leona was only trying to win, just like everyone else. It's not her fault she happened to be beating the shit out of his girlfriend.

Mary got back up against all odds... but it would be better if she didn't. Her arms were heavy, legs dragging, mouth wide open sucking air... her head didn't look all the way there right now. It was swaying side to side, like she was just barely managing to keep her eyes forward.

Mary's last avenue of offense would come in the form of a sloppy, laughable spinning backfist. It bounced weakly off of Leona's wrist, and she lunged in and ended Mary's suffering.

SLASH!

Leona swung one arm upwards with a vertical slash, then spun around and went perpendicular with a horizontal stroke. Her slashing chi figuratively tore through Mary and sent the blonde woman on a one-way trip to her back. She wasn't unconscious... but a combination of fatigue and intense agony prevented her from having a chance of getting back up.

 **WINNER: LEONA HEIDERN**

Mary didn't try to stand; she elected to wait for either the paramedics or Terry to come get her. She was leaning more towards Terry...

Thankfully, he DID arrive first. Upon reaching her, he got down on his knees and lifted her into his lap.

"Mary... you okay, baby?"

Mary smiled weakly. "Y-yeah. I just... agh... she really demolished me. Leona is a tough-ass girl."

Terry's face saddened as he stroked her hair. "Sucks that you can't be with me in Round 3."

Mary chuckled. "Sucks? You should feel lucky. Now I don't have to break anything of yours... hahaha... cough cough..."

Their conversation was cut short by the paramedics arriving, as well as Chizuru.

"Let us take her, please." Chizuru softly requested, a hand on his shoulder.

Terry gave the nod of approval, and they loaded up Mary on a stretcher and carried her off.

"Ungh! Ahhh... c-come see me as soon as the other Bogard finishes!" Mary called out.

"That's a promise!" Terry shouted back.

On the other side, Leona was met with intense praise from Ralf, who scooped her up and swung her around.

"LEONA! You're doing so awesome, girl!" he cheered. "Two fights, two opponents crushed! You're killing this thing!"

Leona didn't respond; she was too flustered from being spun around in front of so many watching eyes.

"That's enough, Ralf. Put her down." Heidern commanded.

"Alright, alright." Ralf laughed.

Leona's feet thankfully returned to Earth, and she took her place alongside them in the stands. Once again, she avoided a trip to the hospital.

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #11: ANDY BOGARD VS DIO**

With Joe, Mary, and now Mai at the hospital, Terry and Kim were the only ones left to cheer for their fellow Fatal Fury hero. For Terry, in particular... he needed this. He needed to see his brother do well, and lift his spirits after the devastating defeat of Mary.

...But Andy was in the same boat. After witnessing Mai get wrecked, his morale was at an all-time low. He thought about the promise they made, to go to Round 3 together... without his true love at his side, was victory really that fulfilling?

He couldn't have picked a worse time to be down in the dumps, however; the opponent standing before him was an artificially created god of destruction. Sporting a completely sky blue body, which could morph into various shapes, with elemental powers in his claws... Dio was near perfect. It would take a true fighting spirit, and the purest resolve, to defeat him.

...Andy just didn't have that right now.

"HISHOUKEN! HISHOUKEN! HISHOUKEEEEN!"

Andy fired off his trusty fireballs one after the other, attempting to keep Dio at range. But the blue humanoid cleaved through each fireball with only a basic kick, his feet fashioned into razor-sharp sickles. Each time a blue ball of energy soared towards him, Dio's foot would tear through it and vaporize it.

"Huff... huff... HIIIIISHOUUUUUKEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

Andy lunged deep and used a great deal of energy to launch a bigger, faster, more potent version of his projectile. He wanted to launch one that Dio couldn't destroy.

"Good. Let's see if that blue freak can stand up to THAT one." Kim remained optimistic.

The fireball soared towards Dio, glowing violently, soaring at impressive speed... but the alien's face was unchanging. He extended an open hand... and to the amazement of Andy, Terry, Kim, and the rest of the Coliseum... he caught Andy's fireball in his grasp.

"WHAT? IMPOSSIBLE!" Andy screeched.

Dio rolled his eyes as his fingers gave the slightest squeeze, bursting the fireball like a water balloon, leaving nothing left.

"Damn! What can hurt this guy?!" Terry grumbled. His teeth were bared, a hiss leaking through them... he wasn't sure he could stand to watch this. He had a bad feeling...

Andy finally went hand-to-hand, closing distance on the blue humanoid. "I'm coming for you soon, Mai. Wait for me to finish this guy!"

Andy unleashed a palm, soaring towards Dio's chin, which Dio swayed his head and dodged. Andy put the pressure on, swinging at him continuously with openhanded strikes; Dio dodged them all, occasionally parrying one with his forearm.

Andy went mid with a palm to the stomach, which missed, but mixed things up by coming around with a spinning elbow to the face. The attack connected, but Dio brought his arm up to block his face, absorbing the impact and leaving him unharmed.

Realizing his assault had failed, Andy quickly backpedaled to a safe distance and started circling. His eyes continuously darted high, low, high, low... looking for an opening. There was none.

With a silent curse, Andy decided to wing it and throw a kick. Lunging with his right foot, he pivoted his left hip and let his foot soar high, towards Dio's face.

...But his foot whizzed past Dio's head, and Andy was forced to spin around. Dio carefully fixated on Andy's stationary leg, waiting for the moment his body was at the apex of rotation... and he let a kick fly that struck it down.

"AGHHH!" Andy howled in pain as his leg gave out, causing him to collapse uncomfortable to the ground, unable to cushion his impact since he was still mid-whiff. His right leg only hurt for a few seconds... before it went completely numb.

"ANDY! NOO!" Terry screamed in denial. He angrily brought his fist down next to him, literally denting the metal they were sitting on. He couldn't believe this was happening... some alien FREAK was beating his brother!

Andy got back up, heavy on his left side, unable to get in proper stance. Dio immediately let him have it: a right hand across the face, a left uppercut to the chin... each blow knocked Andy around like he was a trash bag floating in the wind.

Dio mixed his strikes well, battering Andy's face with two punches before going to his body with a kick. Nobody knew what his leg was made of... but it felt like titanium smashing into Andy's stomach. The Bogard brother immediately felt like falling to his knees, puking the contents of his stomach all over the Coliseum floor. It was willpower and sheer stubbornness that kept him upright.

Another minute of this exchange went by, with nothing changing; Andy offered up no resistance whatsoever, as Dio beat his face to a pulp with punches as fast as gale wind, and softened his body up with kicks like a soaring sledgehammer. Andy was swollen in both eyes, lip split open... nobody could see under his shirt, but he was bright red in multiple areas; later on they would darken to a nasty violet.

Andy lunged in with a desperate wild swing; Dio sidestepped and Andy's face crashed into a counter forearm. The blunt impact made him go stiff, freezing in place, helpless to whatever Dio would throw next.

Dio showed no mercy. He let his left fist fly across Andy's cheek, his head going sideways, before he knocked it back the OTHER way with a hard right. It took several seconds for the wobbling Andy to posture himself back up... but Dio easily knocked him down with a backhand. Andy went facefirst into the dirt, coughing and sputtering as blood and saliva flew from his lips.

"Jesus, Andy... how could this happen..." Terry sighed. Bogard couldn't understand it; everything was going so well. The Lone Wolves were undefeated. They had torn through their opponents. They were on top of the world, just like back in the good old days.

...But it all fell apart, in no time. It started with Andy losing Mai. That must have been a blow to his spirit. And then Terry lost Mary... right now he just wanted to lay down in misery. He was lucky as hell to have fought before her it seems, otherwise he would have gotten the same treatment his brother was getting right now. Right now, it looked like he and Joe would have to move on by themselves...

Andy willed himself back up one last time. His breathing was labored. He couldn't see much of anything. He was spitting blood as fast as it drizzled down his lip. But STILL... he put his fists up. That warrior spirit shone brightly, even in the midst of defeat. Andy Bogard could never lose that, even if he lost everything else.

"Begone from my sight." Dio commanded. "A human insect like you can never hope to scratch me."

"Huff... huff... I'm... gonna... do... worse... than... scratch you..." Andy panted, his legs looking like they were seconds away from giving out.

...But even then, he summoned the rest of his power to launch one glorious attack:

"ZAINEKEEEEEEEEEEN!"

He shot towards Dio with that same bullet speed; that same crushing power he always had. His elbow was extended, intending to smash whatever Andy aimed it at with his incredible velocity. He had one target: Dio's chest, to break his sternum or whatever he had in his chest that could cripple him.

But Andy's swan song would indeed be just that, for Dio never gave his elbow a chance to reach. As the blue humanoid drew his hand back, an icy aura swirled around his fingertips, preparing to unleash...

As soon as Andy's body was inches away from him, Dio timed his arrival with impossible accuracy and thrust his icy claws forward. Upon touching Andy, he froze the Bogard brother solid, his elbow still extended, his mouth still open where he had yelled his attack. He was a statue; a solid blue statue, elbow inches away from Dio's chest, his frozen eyes still staring forward.

This time, Dio summoned a fist of fire; thrusting it into the statue, he exploded his own icy creation and sent Andy flying backwards from the impact and shockwave. Thankfully, Andy hadn't been frozen to the BONE; otherwise... he would have shattered into a million pieces. The ice he was frozen in was merely a shell, to encase his body and immobilize him.

It certainly did the trick, giving Dio a completely free hit on a defenseless Andy. This one put the Bogard brother down for good. The Lone Wolves were now one man short.

 **WINNER: DIO**

Terry was up to his feet immediately, his cap pulled down. His lips were obviously curled downwards.

"...Please excuse me, Kim. I just watched my brother get the shit beaten out of him."

Not even waiting around for Kim's response, Terry walked away from the Coliseum and disappeared into the locker rooms. Obviously, his spirit was a little broken right now, having seen his beloved and his brother get their asses kicked back to back. Whether this would prove mentally taxing for him in Round 3 had yet to be seen. As coolheaded as Terry Bogard was... his compassion for his loved ones was a tremendous weakness sometimes.

In his VIP booth, Geese Howard watched these events unfold with a hand on his chin...

 **We're getting there. Nine fights left. Are you beginning to feel the incredible loss? Are your hearts bearing the weight of seeing so many beloved faces fall? Good. This is what this story has been working towards. I wanted you to watch them win at least once, so their downfall would be much more impactful. Round 1 was tedious... but it was the most important.**

 **Steel yourselves and press onward. Round 2 is halfway over.**


	20. Chapter 20: Round 2, pt 4

**Dunno what I did to deserve such a blessing, but our beloved Rex Madison is back with us. All I can say is... welcome back, friend. And thank you. Your return gives not only me, but the entire King of Fighters fandom, vitality. Please stick around this time, buddy!**

 **Author's Pick: In this chapter sandwich, two epic fights are the bread, and two rather standard fights are the meat. Hopefully they'll all be entertaining for you : )**

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #12: IORI YAGAMI VS BILLY KANE**

Iori was a bit more fortunate than most; he had managed to get to Round 2 without throwing a single punch, purely just by being... him. This left him in an incredibly amped up state, his body wriggling with an uncontrollable lust, like a volcano at the peak of eruption. He needed to hurt somebody. NOW.

Luckily for Iori, he had a very willing participant: someone he shared an interesting history with. Of course, it wasn't a pleasant one; this is Iori Yagami we're talking about. When these two one-time teammates met in the ring... it was going to be ugly. It was ugly before, and this was going to be even worse.

"You gonna run like the last coward?" Iori intimidated, his fingers curled into claws, malevolent purple flames already sprouted and burning with unholy heat.

Billy's response was a chilling chuckle, his trusty weapon resting on his shoulders, his arms hooked around it.

"Heh heh heh heh... mate, you and I have unfinished business. I'm not going anywhere."

Iori was unfazed, stepping forward. "You picked the wrong guy to hold a grudge against. Let's go!"

Billy's sly grin widened into a more determined one. "Music to my ears. You've had this coming a long time, prettyboy."

 **FIGHT!**

When they moved forward, the brakes were severed. There would be no stopping, no retreat from this moment on.

Billy twirled his staff violently in his left hand before grasping it tight and spinning around 360. He faked Iori out by appearing to go high, but went low instead and struck the flame-wielder across the kneecap. Iori's leg immediately buckled, and Billy spun around the opposite direction and came across his face with the right end of the staff. The hard weapon crashed across Iori's jaw, caving in his cheek and propelling his feet sideways haphazardly.

Iori roared as he spun around drunkenly and threw a ferocious spinning backfist, an immense trail of purple flame blazing through the air following his swing.

"Argh!" Billy grunted as he stepped back just out range of the impact... but the heat of those flames, the embers kissing his skin... it felt like agony. Those were the flames of something far worse than Satan himself. Wicked, unnatural... forbidden power.

As Iori's body faced forward once again, he extended his other hand and fired a concentrated flame blast, which soared towards Billy at terrifying speed and threatened to hit him square in the chest. Luckily, Billy had a decent defense prepared, twirling his staff like a helicopter propeller to attempt to snuff it out.

...But Iori's flames followed a different set of rules. Upon impacting, the flame didn't die out; it only grew WILDER, engulfing Billy's body like a parasite overcoming its host. His body was bathed in violet, his screams of anguish piercing to the ears listening.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!"

Despite the seething pain, Billy clenched his teeth and swung his staff with desperate might. The weapon broke apart into links, allowing it to extend long enough to slam into Iori's stomach. The flame-wielder's breath was sapped, his mouth opening wide and nothing coming out.

This stunning blow to Iori gave Billy enough time to recover from the horrific inferno and charge forward. He screamed; a mindless, violent, animalistic scream. A scream that signified all the hatred and vengeance brewing in his otherwise honorable soul. He didn't want to knock out Iori; he wanted him to SUFFER.

Billy's whipped his staff around, still in loose form, and the links soared forward and struck Iori's shoulder. Iori winced, his shoulder immediately seizing up, stiffening from the blunt impact. He tried to lift it to summon a flame, but the pain was paralyzing... and it gave Billy the edge to follow up.

Billy quickly retracted his staff and it returned to solid form. He stuck the tip downwards, using it as a pole vault to launch himself into the air.

"THIS ONE'S GONNA HURT!" Billy screeched as he came down on Iori's scalp with a skull-splitting bash.

That colossal blow to the head brought Iori down hard, the flame-wielder collapsing to his knees, his hands the only thing holding him upwards. He felt the tickle of blood drizzling, trickling down his scalp, where Billy's instrument had struck his skull so hard a gash opened up. Within seconds... the entire left half of Iori's face was a mask of red. He tried to steady his gaze... but his world was spinning around and around so fast, his head felt like a basketball upon a pro's finger. He was feeling lightheaded... was he about to pass out? He felt like he could close his eyes at any second...

...But he was angry. Anger is power. Anger is his blood, the oxygen in his lungs, the beat of his heart. As long as he had it inside him: that pure, unfiltered rage, which fueled the hellish flames of his scorned clan... he could still stand up. He could still walk forward. He could maim. He could kill.

"What the... UNNNGH!"

Billy could hardly believe it when he saw Iori move again; the shocking revelation was matched by a surprise attack that was impossible to avoid. Iori had lifted his fist, literally slamming his bare knuckles against the solid ground. From that simple impact, a phenomenal backdraft was produced, a spontaneous explosion of flame so abrupt, so powerful, the shockwave sent the unprepared Billy off his feet and into an unpleasant impact several yards away.

"Cough cough... son of a... arrgh..." Billy cursed as he picked his weary body back up. The shockwave was painful enough... but the HEAT... even from his current distance, it still seared into his flesh, tormenting him... demoralizing him... Iori's flames were pure evil.

Iori was back to his feet, his body engulfed in a pillar of violet. His body was all but obscured by his wicked birthright, only a sinister silhouette vaguely visible... along with two inhuman, blank, white irises.

"Stay in control Yagami... don't make me come down there..." Kyo hissed under his breath. His hands instinctively squeezed hard against their resting place on his lap...

Billy lifted his staff to defend himself, but Iori was on him in seconds. A massive left hand crashed into his cheek, the blunt force matched by the torturous lick of scorching hellfire. Billy wasn't crying... but the pain was so immense his eyes involuntarily produced tears.

A right hand slammed into his stomach, before the left went back upwards to his chin. Billy saw only black as his feet betrayed him, carrying him backwards haphazardly with no control. His pure survival instinct allowed him to use his staff as a crutch to hold his body upwards.

Iori was coming at him, but Billy screamed with all the rage and willpower in his vengeful soul. He wouldn't back down... not from him. He was an otherwise noble man, not often one to succumb to sinful desires... but this time was a little different. He wanted Iori to bleed for what he did. He wanted him to suffer. He deserved it!

Pushing off the ground with his staff, Billy propelled his exhausted body forward and met Iori head on. He jammed the left end of the stick into Iori's sternum, stopping his forward advance and knocking him back a step. He quickly pivoted his staff and cracked Iori in the temple with the other end, before spinning around clockwise and coming back across Iori's cheek with the left end once again.

Finally, rotating his body completely back around... Billy knocked Iori flat on his back with a momentous backhanded swing.

"SUFFER!" Billy cursed as he raised his staff high and brought it down upon Iori's stomach, the tip tunneling deep into his core .

"AAUUUUGhhhh...!" Iori wheezed out in pain, turtling up as he clutched his insides.

"Have another!" Billy threatened as he raised his staff once again.

Like a wounded animal, Iori summoned all of his survival instincts to counterattack swiftly and buy time.

"RRRRAGH!" his growl was like nothing short of a predator as he brought his fingers across Billy's chest, his fingers cleaving the flesh like a lion's claws.

"Ungh, BASTARD!" Billy cursed as he angrily kicked Iori across the face, knocking the flame-wielder back down. But a mixture of shock and pain prevented Billy from pursuing; he instead retreated, obviously shaken up by the huge claw mark gushing blood on his chest.

This allowed Iori to get back up... and he was pissed. His body hurt all over, his face dripping blood, his fangs bared and stained with red from his now split open lip... he looked like something out a nightmare. And he was all the more dangerous in his wounded state.

Billy clutched his chest in pain for a few seconds, but he quickly brandished his staff and charged forward once again.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he roared, the fire in his spirit still not extinguished.

Billy swung his staff with all his might... but Iori parried it with curled fingers, producing sparks upon collision. Unlike a normal man, whose fingers would break like twigs from such an impact, the unnatural abilities of the Yagami gave Iori digits more solid and deadly than a bladed weapon.

With a snarl, Iori raised his other hand and swatted Billy's staff aside. The force of his clawed fingers was so much greater than that of a normal hand; Billy was surprised when the staff flew from his grasp and landed far out of reach.

In the blink of an eye, the tables were turned; Billy stood there defenseless, the eyes of a wrathful Yagami upon him.

"Aghhkkk!" Billy's choked gasp spilled out when those monstrous claws secured his neck in a crushing grip. Iori's strength lifted him easily off his feet... and he could only flail his legs as he was at the mercy of the red-haired man.

Billy didn't know what to expect. Death? Separation from consciousness? A pain far greater than what he felt the last time he was in Iori's hands? Whatever it was, Billy wouldn't run from it; he closed his eyes... and accepted his fate.

Using one hand to hold Billy up, Iori drew his free hand back, curling it into a fist which ignited with his malevolent fire...

The next thing Billy would feel is his insides push up into his throat, as the hardest punch he ever felt drilled into his stomach and turned his body off like a light switch.

Iori loosened his grip... and Billy plopped to the floor like a wet paper bag. He lay there motionless, only a faint breathing and a low, guttural groan his signs of life.

 **WINNER: IORI YAGAMI**

Iori had little left inside him, dropping to a knee and panting as the red continued to drip from his chin. Finally, he could rest; he had unleashed it all. The beast was finally sated. The lust had left him.

He was grateful to Billy. Thanks to him, Iori was able to feel calm again. Feel... human. It wouldn't last forever; by tomorrow, Iori would once again be full throttle, his heart prepared to burst if he didn't unleash his fury. But now... just right now... he could rest.

"...Can you hear me?" Iori called out to the semi-conscious opponent lying before him.

Billy's only response was a weak, labored groan.

"We're square now, right? You cracked my f***ing head open like a coconut. I'm about to pass out from blood loss. You got your licks in. So... sorry for what I did to you back then. Now, put it the f*** behind you already. Before I have to kill you."

That was as close of an apology as one could get from Iori Yagami. Billy seemed to have understood this... as his lips curled upwards with a cheeky grin.

"Heh heh... heh heh heh heh heh... cough cough cough... unghhhhh..."

Billy used up the last of his energy with that chuckle, finally succumbing to the beckon of sleep. His right hand still had a split second to flash a thumbs up before going limp.

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #13: KIM KAPHWAN VS DUO LON**

Kim was in worse shape than most others, having already had to fight twice, but this didn't stop him from coming out with a full tank. He whipped a question mark kick towards Duo, pretending to go low then quickly going high towards the head. But Duo was wise to it, and he swayed his head at the last second to avoid the impending foot.

As Kim whiffed, he stopped abruptly and brought his foot in reverse to try and come across Duo's jaw from the other side. But Duo was able to use his wrist to stop the kick, which was a bit weaker since it had lost its initial propulsion.

Seizing advantage of Kim's defenseless state, Duo thrust two rigid fingers into his sternum. Although it had the appearance of a mere poke... the force was the equivalent of a full-on collision. Kim was knocked off his feet by the improbable power, skidding along the ground for a few yards.

Kim sprang back to his feet; he was still game. Charging at Duo, he spun his body 360 to gather momentum and put his whole weight into a massive spinning kick aimed at Duo's stomach.

...But Duo timed the arrival of his kick and countered with a perfectly placed kick to the back of his approaching knee. Kim's soaring leg immediately lost its torque, and he was forced to bring his foot back to the ground lest he fall. But it wasn't a clean recovery; he stumbled big time, the pain of his knee making his leg lock up and become unresponsive.

This gave Duo a plethora of time to piece Kim up. A reverse knifehand strike to the face opened up a bloody nose. A palm strike to the throat caused Kim lungs to instinctively suck in air... only to feel burning instead of of precious oxygen.

Duo drew his right fist back... and slightly protruded the knuckle of his forefinger. He slammed his fist into the soft center of Kim's sternum, that extended knuckle hitting its mark perfectly with a painful and debilitating precision.

Kim landed on his butt... and he tried to stand up, only to fall back down a second time. With an angry curse, he sprang up to his feet on the next attempt.

Feeling the pressure, Kim started to pour on more explosive attacks. He came at Duo with a flying axe kick, causing the Hizoku assassin to backpedal quickly to dodge it. Kim swiftly transitioned into a sweep kick, his foot missing Duo by mere inches but once again putting Duo on eggshells. Kim quickly pressed forward, body still in full momentum... and launched a flying switch kick. His right foot feinted, and his left foot went high to strike Duo in his handsome face.

Unfortunately, Duo was still the far fresher fighter, and he was able to avoid it.

Taking advantage of Kim's recovery, Duo threw a short punch to his liver that put his body in a stunned state. That opened him up for a graceful and beautifully deadly combo from the Hizoku assassin.

Duo blasted his face with a left backfist, then followed up with a right palm behind it to his stomach. As Kim's head dipped, Duo caught him in the face with a straight right that sent him backwards. At the peak of Kim backing into his range... Duo unleashed a right kick into his ribs that stiffened Kim where he stood. Duo quickly brought his right foot back to the ground and used it to push off and connect to Kim's cheek with a leaping left kick.

Kim was utterly devastated by Duo's elegant 5-hit combo, his body pretty much just hanging in limbo, still somehow standing.

...But Duo had one more move prepared for him: the icing on the cake.

The Hizoku assassin whipped his hair forward, his long brown locks seizing Kim around the neck and putting him at Duo's control.

In true 'get over here' fashion, Duo yanked Kim towards him... and met his arriving body with a vicious elbow thrust to the midsection.

Showing mercy, Duo allowed that to be the last blow and Kim was finally granted an audience with the dirt.

 **WINNER: DUO LON**

"You fought well." Duo stated, giving a respectful bow. "Rest up now. Goodbye."

With those brief words, Duo's black attire swayed as he turned to walk away. Kim laid facefirst on the ground, angry that he was so easily defeated. He KNEW he had more inside him! He just... he couldn't let it out. He couldn't make his body move the way he wanted to. He was just in too rough of shape.

"Cough cough.. agh! Dammit." Kim cursed as he spat dust particles. "Damn you, Jhun... I could have gone further... if you didn't jump me in the night..."

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #14: JIN CHONREI VS ATHENA ASAMIYA**

"Let's have a clean and fun fight!" Athena merrily requested.

...but Jin had no words formed for a response. His cheeks were emblazoned with red, his flustered eyes rapidly attempting to dart away from Athena... before gluing back to her. He felt his heart pounding faster and faster with each second he looked at her... god, she was beautiful! Damn his hormones... he had a brother to feed, and here he was feeling tight in the pants before the girl he was supposed to defeat. Tung's discipline obviously didn't allow him to suppress those emotions...

"Um... are you ready to begin, friend?"

Jin shook his head a few times, slapping his cheeks. "Y-yes. Pardon me... M-Miss Asamiya."

 **FIGHT!**

Athena came forward with a steady stream of openhanded strikes, alternating between left and right with each strike. Jin's head movement was enough to dodge most of them, but occasionally one would lock on-target and force Jin to use chi to direct his body out of the way.

Athena backed him up with another 1-2, then smoothly transitioned into a spinning kick that went high. The foot came so fast, Jin was forced to lift his forearm to absorb it. With a grunt, he quickly gathered a ball of chi in his free hand and tried to blast Athena point-blank with it.

Athena saw his glowing fist soaring towards her, and she panicked. She had the right idea in mind, using her Psycho Reflector... but in the heat of the moment, she didn't account for the fact that they were only inches apart.

Before she had time to curse her mistake, Jin's attack struck her shield and produced an explosion of chi-fueled proportions. The shockwave sent both of them off their feet, launching them several yards in opposite directions, both hitting the ground without a clean landing.

"OOF!

"OUUGH!"

It took a minute for each to recover from the effects of the explosive collision. Jin was the first one back to his feet, albeit wobbling a few times. Athena followed seconds later, dusting herself off and blowing a pink strand out of her face. Between the two, she didn't take the worst of it, thanks to her being behind a barrier.

The two closed in and mixed it up, showing fluid striking and adequate defense on both ends. Athena tried to piece him up with openhanded strikes, but Jin parried them with his hands and fired back with a chop. Athena parried it with her wrist and countered with a palm to the stomach, then went high with a strike to his face. Jin was able to parry her strikes as well, leaving the two of them basically at a stalemate.

They both went for a high roundhouse at the same time, and their legs collided mid-flight. As their feet rested back upon the ground, it became a race to see who would open up first. Athena led the dance, coming forward with a high right that Jin bounced off his shoulder, and returned with a left palm. Athena was struck in the chest, but she rolled with the punch and spun around with a huge spinning slap. Jin's forearm was there to block it, but she followed up with a side kick that stumbled him backwards as it hit his stomach clean.

Athena pressed forward with a sweep kick, but Jin used his uncanny ability to move his body completely out of the way of it. She followed through the motion and transitioned to a tornado kick... but once again Jin's body moved as a singular entity, completely avoiding her kick.

As quickly as Jin could evade, he could also close distance and attack. He smirked as he used his chi ability to close the gap in the blink of an eye... and slam his elbow into Athena's chest.

"Ouugh!" Athena squeaked as her feet left her and her butt collided with the ground. It was more than jarring... but she was able to quickly spring back up.

Jin bounced around in a crazy, erratic pattern, still using his strange ability that allowed him to move without ACTUALLY moving. He was trying to mess with her head... left, right, diagonal, swivel... he juked in all directions to throw her off.

Finally he emerged from behind with a glowing fist and struck her in the back. Athena was knocked forward... and then ping-ponged from the front as Jin emerged in her face and blasted her in the chest.

"Agh! He's fast...!" Athena grunted.

The onslaught continued, as Jin Chonrei's incredible movement allowed him to assault her from all sides, with Athena failing to intercept him in time. His body was just too quick, able to change directions with no tell whatsoever. He could be to her left, and in a snap... to her right.

Athena took a glowing fist to her face, then an elbow to her ribs seconds later. Jin circled around and kicked her in the back, then emerged from the front and battered her with a 1-2 palm strike to the ribs, before going high with a kick to her jaw.

"Unghhh... gotta... find a way... to stop him..." Athena panted. The accumulation of strikes she was taking started to really weigh her down. Her movements were feeling sluggish, muscles heavy... and the pain was no help either.

...But Athena was cool under pressure. She was the model Psycho Soldier. She had to set an example for her peers, for the ones younger than her, for the future generations. She had to carry on their greatness. Her Psycho Power was a testament to their true capabilities... and this was the proving stage.

"Deep breaths... focus my power..."

She didn't bother trying to time Jin's arrival... she simply allowed herself to get punched. That's when she knew she could trigger it.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

As Jin had just struck her, his body was completely vulnerable, impossible to move at that precise moment. As his fist touched her cheek, he witnessed a magnificent pair of blue spheres materialize around Athena and instantly seek him out.

"GUUUUGHK!" Jin felt the wind leave his body as the first Crystal Bit slammed into his stomach like a boulder. It didn't explode, however; Athena allowed it to carry him up into the sky before allowing it to finally detonate.

"ONE!"

As Jin's body descended... Athena sent the second Crystal Bit after him. It homed in on him and blasted him dead-on, juggling his falling body in mid-air.

"TWO!"

Jin was already beyond the threshold of integrity at this point. This surprise Psycho attack had utterly rocked him. He never saw it coming. Athena was a true veteran, taking a ton of punishment, yet finding a way to turn the tables with ease. She was so strong, so smart... and damn, she was gorgeous. If there was any fighter deserving to win this tournament, he knew it was her.

As Jin's body continued to fall... Athena had one more nasty surprise for him to make sure he didn't get back up.

"And THREE! PSYCHOOOO SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOORD!"

The piece de resistance was a perfectly placed Psycho Sword, striking his defenseless body in mid-air and devastating him before he could even hit the ground.

When finally Jin did land... getting up was a laughable concept.

 **WINNER: ATHENA ASAMIYA**

"Ungh... b-brother... forgive me. Victory was at hand, but... aghhhkk..." Jin groaned, the sting of humiliation overshadowed by the haunting guilt... knowing that he failed to get the prize money they so desperately needed.

"Whew!" Athena wiped her forehead and gave a wink. "Good thing I whipped out my Shining Crystal Bits when I did. He almost had me..."

"Athena is AMAZING!" Bao exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "That guy was hitting her all over, and then she just whips out her powers like SHOO SHOOOM! WHOOSH! And just like that, BAM! He's done for!"

"Athena's Psycho Power saved her bacon, for sure." Chin proclaimed, a hand on his chin. "But her hand-to-hand needs work."

"Oh come on, master. It's not her fault that guy could move so fast." Kensou attempted to defend.

"If not him, then another opponent will emerge. One who can resist her powers and do her great harm. Athena must be wary from here on..."

As if those words sparked some cue, Ash Crimson chuckled evilly and twirled his platinum blonde hair.

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #15: KYO KUSANAGI VS OSWALD**

As Kyo stood before his opponent, hands in his pockets... there was no passion. No thrill of the fight burning inside him. His flames never felt colder.

The tournament had been corrupted. Once again, just as in days' past, evil stained the pure, noble roots of King of Fighters and twisted it into a perilous fight for survival. Whoever had let loose that Rugal clone, surely they had malicious motives up their sleeve. Maybe he wasn't even the only one...

This didn't have to be Kyo's problem. No... he chose to make it so. It was inevitable anyway, as Kyo always found himself embroiled in whatever sinister plot had unraveled that year. It was always him.. always always ALWAYS his problem! Orochi, NESTS, Iori, that damned Ash kid... all fingers pointed to Kyo in the end. And it made him tired... so very tired...

This was no different. He would accept this burden too, because that's the way it always was. Maybe it would be Round 3. Maybe it would be the semifinals. Maybe it would be the final battle itself. But he knew, deep down... he had to be the one to re-kill Rugal. It was always his burden: the burden of being the hero.

Can't he just defy fate? It was easy; just quit right now and walk away. It was as easy as throwing a piece of trash in the garbage can. But if so... then why was he still standing here? He didn't want to be here right now. He wanted to be free of King of Fighters, of its blackened roots seeping into all things just and honorable about sports. He wanted to be free of a world where the most prestigious martial arts competition was constantly a monument to bloodshed, dark ambition, betrayal, avarice... death.

...But still, he couldn't find the will to walk away. Even now, despite this revelation... his eyes locked onto the red glasses shimmering upon Oswald's face. This was always his place... whether he liked it or not.

"What troubles you, boy? I can see the turmoil, the conflict inside you." Oswald declared, a little smirk on his face as he adjusted his glasses.

"...None of your business, old man." Kyo sneered. "Focus on surviving."

Oswald was unfazed by his rebuttal. "You're giving off a serious stink. Your internal disarray is discomforting... to me."

Kyo scoffed. "What makes you so self-righteous? You think you're above the world and its troubles? I got news for you pops... you're a part of it until you're dead."

Oswald rolled his eyes, still smirking. "Spoken like a true simpleton. Let me show you what enlightenment is capable of."

 **FIGHT!**

"I'm going to show you something special, boy." Oswald confidently stated. "It's an unbeatable technique, one that I finally perfected just recently after decades of my trade. Now... let's block out these meddlesome prying eyes, shall we?"

Kyo's eyes narrowed as he watched Oswald's hands carefully. He held his arms out, in a hugging gesture... but the older gentleman didn't have a showing of affection in mind. No... his grandest trick was revealed when, from his sleeves... they began to pour out.

Dozens of them. No... even more than that. It must have been HUNDREDS. They kept coming... red, black, red black... clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades... cards of every number, every suit, poured from his sleeves endlessly. How did he have so many? Where did they come from? How did he fit them inside him?

Kyo watched with awe as the cards acted with a mind of their own, blessed with some kind of magic. No sleight of hand could do what these cards did: stacking high to form a complete shroud that covered the two of them, obscuring their battle from the rest of the audience.

Darkness enveloped them... and before Kyo knew it, the only thing he could see was white, black, and red. All around him, infinite cards swirled, their numbers and little shapes mesmerizing, nearly dizzying to look at. He felt nauseous, queasy, the longer they swirled around him... he was close to falling down, or maybe even losing his lunch.

"Behold my greatest trick! Infinity Sleight!" Oswald proudly exclaimed. "You see? This is what a free mind can accomplish. A mind that's not plagued with the petty squabbles and melodramatic diversions humans create to keep their lives interesting and give themselves the illusion of fulfillment. Look around you, boy! THIS is true power! Infinite power! I've transcended the capabilities of mortal man! I AM GOD! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAAAAAAAA!"

Kyo lost him a few sentences ago. "Dude... you're getting a little in over your head here, don't you think?"

Oswald laughed. "Maybe a little. But I don't care. I'm alive. I can be whatever I want to be. I can be as powerful as I decide. It's such a wonderful feeling, my boy. Such a euphoria, your uneducated mind cannot possibly conceive. I implore you... come join my side, Mr. Kusanagi. Cast aside the turmoil that binds you, and become unchained. Only then will you know what it's like to walk the Earth and truly know what it means to be alive."

Kyo got into stance. "I've got my own philosophy about that. It doesn't involve being an eccentric guru either."

Oswald laughed. "Is that what you think of me? Allow me to humble you."

Kyo took a step forward... but a card shot from one of the walls and struck his face almost instantly. Like some kind of movement-based defense mechanism, Kyo's footstep triggered the attack.

"Go ahead. Take another step." Oswald enticed.

Kyo growled and tried to charge at Oswald... but a flurry of cards closed in from all sides and assaulted him. His body was paralyzed, swarmed by the stinging pain of the edges hitting his bones and vital areas. Ribs, liver, kidneys... no part of him was spared from their rampage.

"Agh! Aghk! Ahh! G-guh! AGGGHHHH!" Kyo screamed out as he was hit from all sides, forward movement impossible as the pain utterly devastated him. He tried to look forward... but all he could see was ink and cardboard in his face, like angry bees buzzing around him, jamming their needles into his flesh. Kyo closed his eyes, silently begging for this nightmare to end, as he was incapable of stopping it...

...Finally, his prayer was answered when the cards stopped flying. He opened his eyes, looking around; they were dormant, only orbiting in their initial position.

"As you can see, this environment is completely under my control." Oswald smirked. "I can make them do whatever I want. Upon my command, any number of them will seek you out. It's impossible for you to defend, or evade. Victory is impossible."

"Impossible to defend, eh?" Kyo spat in defiance. "Have you forgotten who I am?"

Oswald laughed and snapped his finger. Two cards flew towards Kyo... but the Kusanagi heir extended an open hand, and the cards burned to ash before they could touch him.

"Hm. So you have some fight in you after all." Oswald taunted. "You looked defeated before we even faced each other. What changed?"

"...I'm pissed off. That's all." Kyo grinned.

"You rely on anger for strength? Primitive."

"It's enough to smoke you."

Oswald sent three more cards headed for Kyo, but the flame-wielder parried them with his hands, incinerating each one as it dared to come in contact with his skin.

...But there were still too many. As Kyo burned two more of them, four more cards shot out and struck him. Two of them caught him in the back of his knees, and the other two bounced off his ribcage.

"Ngh! Shit...!" Kyo hissed as a fifth card flew directly towards his face... and struck him between the eyes.

"GAAAAAAAGH!" his pained cry rang out as he hit the ground, his world in a daze.

Oswald shook his head, looking down at his floored opponent. "You are capable of more than this, Kusanagi. What happened to your fighting spirit? Where's the man who once combated evil with virtue in his heart?"

Kyo rose back up, only for two more cards to batter his stomach. "Ungh! Well, maybe I'm tired of being the virtuous one! Is it too much to ask to live in a world where we can just fight for fun without having to worry about the world at stake?"

"Fate plays its hand. The world chose you." Oswald replied.

"I didn't ask for it!" Kyo spat, embers flying as he swung his arms in anger.

"...But you accept it anyway. That's why you always win. Because you know you have no choice but to win. But when you DO have that choice... how can you truly find the strength to achieve victory?"

"So you're saying I can only win when it saves the world?" Kyo asked.

"No. But that's the motivation that drives you to do extraordinary things. When you feel it inside you, you possess the power to defeat a god in tangible form. Without it... you can be defeated by the likes of me."

"I'm not going to lose to you!" Kyo lashed out. "I'm gonna beat you, and it's not going to mean ANYTHING. It's just because I'm tired of hearing your babbling bullshit! I don't have to fight to save the world! I can thrash you just because I FEEL LIKE IT!"

As those words exploded from his mouth, so too did his entire body combust with a gargantuan pillar of the purest Kusanagi fire. It cascaded out in all directions, a raging tide of flame scorching all that resided before it.

Oswald's special card zone was ablaze in mere seconds. All around him, no longer the wondrous colors and intricate designs of his signature tools; only bright orange and an unbearable heat that made moisture bleed from all pores.

"I'M GONNA BURN IT ALL!" Kyo screamed out, his voice not addressing anyone in particular... maybe the whole universe. Maybe the gods themselves.

"ALL OF IT! ALL OF THOSE STUPID WORDS! FATE, DESTINY, JUSTICE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, VIRTUE, MORALITY... I HATE THEM! I'M SICK OF THEM! FROM NOW ON, THE WORLD ISN'T GONNA CALL ON ME! CAUSE IF IT DOES... THE WORLD CAN JUST BURN!"

In the span of a mere passing moment... it was all gone. The Coliseum was back in full view, the bewildered spectators gazing upon what was now just Kyo and Oswald standing before each other, surrounded by a smoldering ring of ash. Kyo was hunched over, panting... maybe it was from the attack or, from all his shouting. Either way, he really could use a drink right about now.

Standing back up straight, Kyo took a step towards Oswald with his fist raised... but Oswald retreated, throwing a conceding hand up.

"Enough! You've beaten me." he dejectedly growled.

Those words prompted Kyo to lower his fist, ceasing his aggression. "You callin it quits on me now, after all your big talk?"

Oswald smiled. "Look around you... I have no cards left. You burned every last one. I'm not stupid enough to continue an unwinnable battle."

Kyo smirked. "I gotta thank you, old man. You've really opened my eyes to the truth. I feel free now, capable of anything, just like you."

Oswald laughed. "Ha ha ha! I didn't cast aside my troubles as... violently... as you just did. You still have a ways to go before you truly understand. You're still a misguided soul, like so many others. You think you know... but you really don't."

"Then make me understand." Kyo requested.

Oswald shook his head. "You have to find your own peace. Nobody else can do it for you. I think the world still needs you, Kusanagi. You're not allowed to become complacent... not yet."

Kyo's lips curled downwards. "I don't care what 'the world' needs. I'm done with all this shit, mark my words. I'm done with King of Fighters. I'm done with fighting evil. I'm done with it all. This is going to be my last hurrah."

"Tsk tsk tsk... I don't think that's your way to peace, boy. Not throwing away such a vital part of yourself." Oswald argued.

"We'll see, won't we?" Kyo retorted.

That marked the end of their conversation, and the two combatants parted ways. For one, things were changing... and for the other, there was nothing LEFT to change.

 **WINNER: KYO KUSANAGI**

"Kyo, man... tell me you didn't mean all of that." Benimaru muttered to himself, his head hanging low.

"This is not what I needed to hear. Not so close to my own fight." Daimon sighed, standing up and tightening his headband.

"Just stay strong, buddy. Kyo may be down in the dumps, but you still have me to rely on. I'll be rooting for you." Benimaru smiled, flashing a thumbs up.

Goro bowed. "Thank you, Beni. I'm going now. Just... just try to talk some sense into him."

"That's all I can do. Without using shock therapy, that is." Benimaru laughed.

Goro Daimon made his way to the locker rooms, as Kyo sat back down in his spot in the stands. Immediately, Benimaru tried to open his mouth-

"Shut up, Beni."

Benimaru's mouth closed, only a disappointed sigh coming out.

 **I dunno, maybe I'm just talking gibberish lol. Kyo is just pissed because shit keeps messing up his King of Fighters lol. He's tired of having to be a part of it. That's understandable, right? I mean... he had to kill Rugal, re-seal Orochi, deal with NESTS bullshit, deal with Ash gunning for him... guy's had it rough. I'd be tired of it all lol.**

 **Question of the day: could Kim have beaten Duo Lon if he were 100% healthy? Let me know your thoughts.**

 **Welp, only five fights left. Stay tuned for four more, plus the dramatic final battle of Round 2. All this and more, coming up next! Stay tuned!**


	21. Chapter 21: Round 2, pt 5

**I was a little more pleased with myself with these fights. Much more than last week, which had some stinkers. And the word count is slimmer, too. You're welcome : )**

 **Author's Pick: Hmmm... #18. I think.**

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #16: RYO SAKAZAKI VS KASUMI TODOH**

The blue-haired girl couldn't be more ecstatic; she actually got her wish! She knew if she lasted long enough, her odds of facing Ryo would be better... but she had a 1 in 39 chance of getting matched up with him, and lady luck actually gave her a big ol' smooch.

"This is perfect." Kasumi declared, tightening her headband. She dramatically thrust her finger, her eyes narrowed with determination.

"THIS IS IT! It's time to even the score! For my father! And for ME!"

Ryo kicked off his geta, getting into stance. "I guess this was fate, Todoh. Very well then. Time to put an end to this one-sided rivalry once and for all."

 **FIGHT!**

Ryo lunged and tried to connect to her stomach with a straight right... but Kasumi immediately intercepted his fist and seized his wrist. Locking it tight, she tripped his foot and gracefully flipped him to the ground.

...But Ryo was no slouch in the grappling department, and he was quite knowledgeable of Todoh's classic throwing techniques. Bringing his other arm up to snatch her hands, which were locked around his wrist, he threw his leg upwards and pressed it against her stomach for leverage. He pulled down on her arms and simultaneously lifted with his leg, making her go airborne so he could toss her aside. It was successful, throwing Kasumi far away from him so he could get back up.

Kasumi was a little disheartened from having her grappling negated; she chose to go toe-to-toe with Ryo, despite him having the advantage. If she couldn't control him, maybe she could knock out the older man.

Kasumi threw a straight palm, but Ryo swatted it aside with his left wrist and caught her on the nose with a straight right. As Kasumi yelped and stumbled back, he followed up with a front kick to her ribs, before going high with a left hook that crashed into her temple.

Already the blue-haired girl was reeling from his 3-hit combo. She cursed a few times, shaking her head rapidly, before coming in again with fury.

...But Ryo had the range advantage. Kasumi walked head-first into a side kick, plunging into her stomach and making her eyeballs nearly pop from their sockets.

"Unnnghhhh...!"

Ryo followed up his right kick by twisting around and going high with a left, his bare foot coming across her cheek and smooshing her face sideways. If one had replayed that in slow-motion... they would see Kasumi's cheek enveloping the rest of her face as Ryo's foot buried into it.

Dazed and angry, Kasumi crawled back to her feet and took a deep breath. This fight was getting away from her... she had to shut down his striking, and that meant she HAD to get close again.

Ryo took advantage of his lead and tried to launch a fireball. "HAOH KEN!"

...But Kasumi needed something to show she was still game. She did just that, lunging forward and using her patented Kasane Ate technique.

SLAAAASH!

Like a katana cleaving a watermelon, her razor-sharp chi cut Ryo's fireball in half... and it extended long enough that Ryo himself got a taste of it.

"Ahh!" Ryo grunted as he staggered backwards, having caught the tail-end of that slashing technique. His orange gi split right down the middle, opening wide and revealing his manly bare torso. Thankfully his pants were spared.

Kasumi charged at him and drove her elbow into his gut. Ryo bit the bullet and took that blow clean... but he raised his arm high and came down on Kasumi's exposed dome with a classic board-breaking Karate chop. His strike, powerful enough to destroy a boulder, easily knocked Kasumi flat on her face.

"Ooooog... ahhghhh..." Kasumi was in BAD shape after that blow. She was lucky she still had a skull; Ryo must have gone easy on her. Even then, she still couldn't see straight. As she attempted to lift herself out of the dirt... everything was just blurry, like she was underwater.

Still not all the way there, Kasumi desperately grabbed his wrist and tried to lock him down. She jerked his body downwards, sticking her foot between his legs and tripping him. Ryo fell to one knee, and Kasumi wrapped her arms around his head to pull him down the rest of the way.

The end result was the two of them falling to the ground in side position, Kasumi's arms smothering his head as she attempted to roll over and get on top. She draped a leg over his hip... and finally achieved the position she so desperately needed.

Now fully on top, riding Ryo's back, Kasumi pressed her knee on his arm to pin him down and started smashing the back of his head with elbows. She screamed as she did this, obviously blowing her wad at that moment, putting the last of her energy into this desperate attempt to knock him out.

Ryo was in serious pain as the elbows rained down, one after the other, one after the other. His pain turned to adrenaline, fueling his muscles with a desperate strength. He had such a physical advantage over Kasumi already; with this added boost, getting back up was child's play.

The much smaller girl had focused so much on cracking his head open, she didn't control her position well enough. Ryo was able to get to his knees and lift himself back up, taking her whole body with him. With a well-placed yank, he tugged his arm free and shook Kasumi off.

As Kasumi got back up... she received a bombshell of an uppercut for her troubles. As Ryo's fist rested at the peak of propulsion, so too did her chin tilt upwards at a 90 degree angle. She felt like her head wasn't even a part of her body at that moment... did he knock it clean off with that punch? Was her neck still attached, or was it stretched upwards like those toy robots?

"Father... unghh... forgive me..." Kasumi called out her father's name as she fell backwards, hitting the ground flat. In terms of their rivalry, Ryo was still undefeated... and she had a big fat zero.

 **WINNER: RYO SAKAZAKI**

"Ooof... my head..." Ryo groaned, massaging the area where Kasumi's elbows had torn him up. Despite his pain, he was still sport enough to approach his fallen opponent and extend a helping hand.

"Cmon, let's get you back up. There ya go!"

It took a little lifting on Ryo's part, but he helped Kasumi back to her feet and allowed her to lean on him for support.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Kasumi shook her head a few times. "Ungh... I don't feel like counting right now. Agh! I can't believe I still can't beat you. Even after all this time! Will you please get old and lose your touch already, so I can beat you with my youth?"

Ryo laughed. "Hahaha. Sorry Kasumi, but my hair is still blonde and healthy. I still got decades to go before I look like my old man. Maybe you can beat me by the time I'm Master Tung's age, eh? Hahahahahaha!"

Kasumi rolled her eyes. "Ugh... way to make me feel better."

"Hey..." Ryo's tone turned softer. "Look at me."

Kasumi was pouty, but she managed to lift her head up to look into his sincere eyes. "Yes?"

"...You made it to Round 2 of the toughest martial arts tournament in the cosmos. Your father is watching you on tv right now, and his pride should be bursting."

Those uplifting words managed to produce a smile from the disappointed Todoh. "Heh... being sweet is not going to change things. As long as I'm alive, you better be looking behind you everywhere you walk. I'm gonna get you one day, Sakazaki. Mark my words."

Ryo chuckled. "Okay, now you're sounding like a cartoon villain."

Kasumi smiled. "Thanks for being nice to me. Good luck in Round 3~"

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #17: GORO DAIMON VS WOLFGANG KRAUSER**

Goro's heart was heavy with sorrow for his dear friend Kyo's fall from grace. It would weigh heavily on him during his fight, distracting him from concentrating properly. He would need all the focus he could get, for his opponent was the fearsome Krauser.

...Maybe this tournament just wasn't for him anymore. He was older. He had a family. He cared more about supporting Kyo and Benimaru's fighting passion than actually competing himself. This was probably going to be as far as he gets... but despite this revelation, he was still going to give it his all.

"Fight me with all you've got!" Krauser requested, shedding his red cape and flexing his muscles.

"Very well then. Let us have a clean, fair match." Goro nodded, tightening his headband.

"Cmon Daimon... you can do this..." Benimaru encouraged.

 **FIGHT!**

Goro knew his key to victory was playing to his strengths; he immediately charged at Krauser and tried to clinch. He succeeded, but not before receiving a gold-plated shin to his stomach, courtesy of Krauser's reach advantage. As he pressed his body against Krauser's, he tried to hold him still for a second... so his insides could stop rattling.

After a second of recovery, Goro expertly dragged the heel of his foot backwards against Krauser's ankle, tripping the huge man off balance and causing the two of them to crash to the ground. Goro's large frame collapsing on top of Krauser admittedly didn't feel too good to the purple-haired man.

Goro tried to hold him down... but Krauser was the embodiment of physical strength. From the bottom, he was able to elevate himself multiple times, and it took raw power on Goro's part to keep him pinned. Goro didn't even have time to work on a submission, as his energy was being used to keep Krauser underneath him.

After a minute of struggle, Goro finally decided he had to either go for it or lose the position. Taking a gamble, he threw his legs over Krauser and yanked his arm backwards with the traditional armbar technique.

...He was able to enjoy control of Krauser's arm for only a few precious seconds. He felt it tense up, resisting his might, and the next thing he knew, Goro was slipping off of him.

"Ugh! N-no!' Goro cried as he lost his grip and Krauser was back up to his feet.

As soon as Goro got back up, he threw himself against Krauser once again. He wanted to be glued to him, so tight that a crowbar couldn't even separate them.

...But this time was quite different from the first time. This time, Goro felt less in control and more like a 5-year old attempting to tackle a high school bully. Krauser was just... standing there, arms folded, looking not the least bit concerned; meanwhile, sweat was pouring down Goro's head as he tried and tried to take the purple-haired man down.

"Huff...huff...huff... HNNNNNNNNNGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Goro wrapped a leg around Krauser's knee and tried to trip him... but it was like trying to move an oak tree. Krauser's foot stayed planted firm, impossible to uproot.

Finally, the purple-haired man made a move, shoving Goro aside with the utmost of ease.

"Not this time."

As Goro huffed and puffed, hunched over... he knew he had screwed up big time. He was already spent. He gassed himself out shooting from the starting gate, trying to wrestle a huge and physically imposing man in Krauser. He thought if he could just get one takedown, the fight could be his. But this wasn't the case; he was out of energy, and Krauser looked like he had wrestled a teddy bear.

Goro realized how screwed he was when Krauser came forward and started throwing ridiculously powerful blows to his face. His fists found Goro's cheeks with no opposition, his thick arms able to produce enough force to knock the large Daimon to his knees after only three punches.

As Daimon struggled to get back up... Krauser backhanded him across the face with his gold-plated gauntlet. Daimon immediately went blind in one eye as he fell to the ground; did that break his eye socket?

Goro got back up, seeing 50% darkness. As he staggered forward, Krauser planted a boot in his chest and easily toppled him. He hit the ground once again, feeling utterly hopeless.

"STAY DOWN, DAIMON! YOU'RE DONE, MAN!" Kyo shouted, thankfully still compassionate enough to show concern for his friend.

That stupid warrior pride still shone through, however. It resided in every fighter, making them stand up even when their health was at risk. Goro stubbornly rose up, his mind racing with thoughts of his wife and kids... did he want them to see him lose so easily? Or, maybe for them to not see him get hurt so badly. Which one was it?!

Goro feinted a kick and dived at Krauser's waist, locking his arms tight around it. He pushed off with his knees, attempting to figuratively move a mountain. If he could get Krauser's feet moving, he could trip one and get Krauser back to the ground.

...But Krauser's center of gravity was too strong. He had lowered his stance, making it that much harder to break his roots. Goro was once again burning out his muscles, and Krauser made him pay for it. This time... for good.

He pried Goro's arms loose, pushed his head away from his hip, and blasted him in the face with a knee. Goro's lights went out, and he fell limp.

 **WINNER: WOLFGANG KRAUSER**

"Tend to him, please." Krauser requested to the paramedics as he walked away, scooping up his cape and walking away triumphantly. "Victory, and my redemption, is one step closer! I dare anyone to oppose me! ANYONE!"

Instead of answering his call, Kyo and Benimaru raced out there to comfort their fallen teammate. It was painful to watch Goro lose; not only did it give Team Japan their first L... he had to go back home to his family battered and bruised.

"Daimon, speak to me man!" Benimaru shook him a few times, gently patting his cheek.

"He's unconscious, Beni..." Kyo replied. "He'll wake up in a little while. For now, let the ambulance take him."

Benimaru angrily shoved him. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT! You threw Daimon off his game with your doom n' gloom emo crap!"

"Beni..."

"Just don't talk to me! Asshole!"

Benimaru angrily stomped away, not returning to his seat... he was walking out of the Coliseum. As Kyo stood there, watching his best friend storm off in anger and his other best friend get hauled away to the hospital... he really felt like a piece of shit. Was this really all his doing? Did he cause his friends to suffer? Why did people have to care about HIM so much? Why couldn't they just mind their own damn business!

"Sigh... I don't deserve you guys." Kyo hung his head low as he put his hands in his pockets and exited the Coliseum.

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #18: ROBERT GARCIA VS GEESE HOWARD**

As the cacophony of boos rang out for Geese... the older man actually seemed quite pleased with himself. His arms were folded, a rather giddy little grin on his face. He didn't seem bothered by the fact that the native Italians were all favoring Robert and wishing death upon him.

"Garcia! It's a pleasure to fight you." Geese greeted, his grin widening with each second.

Robert raised an eyebrow as he got into stance. "What are you looking so pleased about?"

Geese gave an unsettling chuckle. "Hm hm hmmm... to be honest, I have a little secret. I specifically chose you to be my opponent."

Robert's eyes widened. "Say what now?"

Geese nodded. "Yep. Because I knew that you would give me the fight I long for. After seeing you handily mop the floor with those Korean buffoons, I knew you were the guy I needed to fight in Round 2. You're not going to disappoint me. I KNOW it."

Robert smiled. "I'm honored that you hold me in such high regard, Geese. Very well then. Time to live up to your expectations... by knocking your ass silly!"

 **FIGHT!**

As fired up as Geese was, he still remained cool and patient as Robert carefully treaded forward, light on his feet. He switched from orthodox to southpaw constantly, alternating his dominant foot every second or so to keep Geese guessing.

Finally getting into kicking range, Robert unleashed his left foot high, striking Geese's forearm which was there to absorb it. But Robert didn't get discouraged; as his left foot rested, he pushed off with his right foot and threw a leaping, spinning roundhouse that would have surely taken Geese's head for a ride if the blonde man hadn't ducked.

Robert still led the offensive dance. He threw out a quick jab, smacking Geese under the eye. He threw a second jab; this one was dodged.

He threw a third jab... and Geese caught his fist. Everybody knew what came next.

Robert was given free flying lessons as Geese jerked his arm forward, pressed a forearm into his stomach for leverage, lifted Garcia off his feet... and flung him over his head like he was hurling a bag of sawdust. Robert got some good distance before landing flat on his back.

"OOOF!"

That was slightly jarring to Garcia; he had to lay on his back for a second to re-capture the wind that was knocked out of him. Thankfully, Geese was respectful enough to not stomp him in the dirt.

"Go ahead and get up, Garcia. The fun's just getting started."

With a determined grunt, Robert rolled over and sprang back up to two feet. He faced Geese, and the violent dance commenced once again.

Robert feinted high, and his sneaky foot found Geese's stomach at the last second. The blonde was caught off-guard by it, stumbling back with a grunt as his insides stirred like a pot of soup. Robert took advantage of his stunned state and fired a 1-2 that hit his face clean. The agile Garcia was able to put a cherry on top of that combo, spinning around with a massive looping kick.

Geese was lucid enough to defend this one, angrily swatting his foot past as it tried to collide with him. Geese rolled with his bodily motion and spun around... bringing a surprise delivery with him.

As Robert was still post-attack, his body was in no position to dodge the spinning kick Geese planted in his midsection. It hit his sternum dead-on, rattling his ribcage like someone dragged a xylophone across them. He was actually thankful to hit the ground, as Geese would be less inclined to hit him while he was down.

That kick hurt a lot worse than Robert let on; he stood up a much less enthusiastic combatant. Already, he felt the strength in his blows lessening... his next punch didn't even faze Geese, who had a cocky grin as he slapped it aside.

Robert played to his strengths. He propelled his foot downwards, striking Geese's ankle with the force of a swinging chain flail. Geese cursed as hit foot gave out, instinctively bending his leg to cushion the impact. His knee collided with the solid ground, sending a jolt through his leg that would make his stance shaky for the next few minutes. Damn, Robert kicked hard!

But as Geese attempted to rise up... his ruggedly handsome face got a little uglier when Robert's knee smashed underneath his eye. He fell backwards, his brain bouncing around his skull walls, but the smart veteran rolled backwards to get as much distance as possible. He needed a minute to recover from that one... but Robert wouldn't give him a minute. He had to bring Robert down.

His face was swelling up like a softball, but he was still able to time Robert's next kick and catch his ankle.

"Ngh! Shit, he's got me again...!" Robert cursed.

This time, Geese would make sure Robert paid DEARLY. Grabbing his captured foot with both hands, Geese jerked downwards and sent Robert into an uncomfortable tumble to his back.

Robert couldn't get up, as Geese held his foot firmly with one hand. As for his free hand... it curled into a fist and rammed into Robert's stomach.

"UHHHHhhhhhhhhhhkkkkkkkkk...!"

What started out as a whimper of pain quieted into an airy gasp, as Robert's arms and free leg shot upwards instinctively. His body locked up, frozen stiff in pain, before falling back limp.

...But Geese was not as kind as others in combat; he punished Robert severely in his weakened state. The fists kept coming, one after the next, one after the next, directly into his stomach as Garcia rolled and writhed in pain as much as he could with one leg. His insides felt like they were being mashed up into baby food, tenderized, softened up until it was a goopy paste that an old person could chew. It was the worst pain Robert ever felt in his life... and it just kept coming.

Punch. Punch. Punch. Geese was absolutely tormenting him. The tears were streaming down Robert's face as he was close to pleading for mercy.

"BEG ME TO MAKE IT STOP!" Geese taunted as he rained absolute hell upon Robert's abdomen.

Robert, even in his absolute agony, managed to choke out some defiant words:

"UGHK! AHK! AGHH! GO... SCREW... YOURSELF!"

Mustering up whatever might he had reserved, Robert brought his free foot upwards and kicked Geese in the nose. It immediately opened up, pouring blood as Geese fell backwards stunned. The onslaught was finally over.

"Damn!" Geese cursed as he clutched his nose in pain, quickly getting up and falling back to a safe distance.

Robert looked a pathetic sight, crawling on his hands and knees, praying to the heavens above for the strength to lift himself upwards... but he was in horrible shape. He had already vomited as soon as his head tilted downwards, followed by a series of dry heaves... he wondered if any of his intestines were in that precious puddle of bodily fluids.

By the time Geese had checked his nose for breaks, Robert was back up to his wobbly baby legs. He spat a couple times, wiped his bottom lip... and put his fists back up.

"Damn... you're quite a trooper, Garcia." Geese smiled. "I'm glad I picked you. I really am."

Robert grinned. "You're gonna sing a different tune when I get back over there. I'm gonna hit you right in the f***ing nose."

Geese beckoned him with an extended hand. "Come here then."

Robert stumbled over to him, looking like he had binged on King's concoctions during Happy Hour. He didn't so much swing his fist as he did flail his arms like wet noodles, but nonetheless he managed to punch Geese in the face with a clean 1-2.

Geese merely smiled as it hit him. Robert's power was close to negative at this point.

"TRIPLE REPPUKEN!"

Geese lunged forward with his classic Reppuken technique... but this one didn't sail like a projectile. It slashed Robert close-range, the chi fashioned into thin blue streaks that curved upwards like a blade. It seemed Geese knew how to toggle his Reppukens for either long distance or up close.

Robert took the first two dead-on like a Double Reppuken. That alone was enough to utterly rock his world, and render him powerless.

The third one was just cruelty.

KERSLASH!

The third Reppuken hit Robert so hard it launched him into the air, his clothes exploding into flying chunks all around him. He hit the ground like a toy with no batteries, lying there in only his boxers.

 **WINNER: GEESE HOWARD**

Geese was met with boos twice as loud as when he walked out. But that disdain only put a smile on Geese's wicked face. He flashed his pearly whites to the crowd as he gave a faux bow, walking away with his head held high.

As he strutted away with the euphoria of victory... he couldn't resist a classic evil laugh.

"WAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

It was safe to say Geese finally got the satisfaction he wanted from Robert. He wanted to bleed a little. He wanted to feel his skin swell. He wanted a little pain. Yes... the pain made it better. The pain made him stronger, and gave him the ruthlessness to hurt his opponent. At that moment, he felt like the Monarch of Southtown again.

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #19: ASH CRIMSON VS RALF JONES**

Ash had to deal with a very dangerous opponent: a pissed off Ralf Jones. Ralf was bad enough when he was clear-headed, but right now, with his closest friend in the hospital... he was not one to tread on. One could tell just from his face that he was looking to punch out his frustrations; right now, Ash was his unlucky target.

If one was supposed to be worried, Ash didn't get the memo. No, the boy was suspiciously gleeful despite his impending battle against an aggressive Ikari Warrior. Ash was a kid who sustained himself off making people mad; maybe seeing Ralf so strung out was an amusing sight for him instead of terrifying.

Ash's lips widened as he beckoned Ralf towards him. "Come and get me, big guy. I'll send you to go join Clarky Boy."

Upon hearing his name on Ash's lips, Ralf sprinted towards the boy and started swinging at him with all his might. He had no technique, no discipline... his fists flew so hard that he was stumbling all over the arena with each swing. He didn't give a shit; one was going to connect eventually, and make him feel a hell of a lot better about the current situation.

Ash, meanwhile, couldn't have been more graceful on his feet. His foot movement was precise, pristine... almost like ballet. Ralf had a better chance hitting a buzzing fly, as his fists gave the air a vicious pounding... but not his actual target.

"Whew! Feisty, aren't we?" Ash giggled. "Maybe you need to CHILL OUT!"

Ash sidestepped a massive punch and did a pirouette, his foot blazing a green trail of fire as it crashed into Ralf's jaw and sent him toppling to the ground.

"...Wait. No, that pun didn't work right. I'm a fire guy. Derp~" Ash's tongue hung out of his mouth as he criticized his own stupid joke.

"Damn it! DAMN IT!" Ralf cursed to the clouds as he punched the ground. "I'm gonna hit you. I swear to god I'm gonna hit you. And it's going to hurt REALLY bad!"

Ash's response was to blow a kiss at him.

Ralf charged at Ash, drew his arm back with all his might, and unleashed his most explosive punch.

"GALACTIC PHANTOM!"

The punch in question was undoubtedly Ralf's most powerful attack, equaling the force of an artillery shell. If his hand didn't break throwing it, he could knock out even a rhinoceros with this catastrophic haymaker.

...But it was still as wild and inaccurate as any other punch Ralf throws. When his fist soared forward... Ash was nowhere to be found.

Ralf only heard these taunting words:

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand... you missed."

Upon hearing that in his ear, Ralf felt an intense burning pain as a green inferno roasted him, courtesy of an energy blast fired by his slippery opponent. It hurt extremely bad and stumbled him forward, but Ralf didn't go down.

Ralf angrily swung around with a spinning backfist, but Ash ducked and uppercut him with a green blazing fist. Ralf took it clean on the chin and stumbled backwards... but Ash seemed bothered by it as well, as he shook his limp hand in discomfort.

"Ahh! Oww owww! Jesus, what is your chin made of? That really f***ing hurt, pardon moi Francais."

Ralf hissed as he massaged his chin, rotating his jaw a few times to make sure it wasn't broken. When he medically cleared himself, he charged at Ash with a wild overhand left. Ash leaped out of the way of it, and Ralf swung around with a spinning kick. Ash sucked in his gut and the foot just missed his midsection...

Since his punch and his kick missed, Ralf used his head... LITERALLY. He thrust his cranium forward, attempting to bash Ash in the forehead, but his body was so off-balance that he only succeeded in flopping like a fish.

"Sh-shit... agh..."

As Ralf got back up from that horrible whiff, Ash punished him. The boy threw a horizontal left kick, producing a fireball that crashed into Ralf's stomach, then he leaped into the air and threw a spinning right kick that sent a second emerald flame projectile soaring. This one struck Ralf in the face and laid him out flat.

As Ralf lay on the ground, groaning in pain... Ash just stood there and casually checked his fingernails. There was one loose strand of hair in his face, which he blew aside with a puff.

 **WINNER: ASH CRIMSON**

"Tch. Well that was fast. And BOOOOORING." Ash droned on. "Who do I have to stroke to get a decent opponent?"

With a sassy flick of his hair, Ash exited the Coliseum. Maybe he had a date with his beloved hot tub.

Ralf managed to sit up, having recovered from semi-consciousness. He wasn't badly hurt... just a little disoriented and demoralized. It seemed like things had gone to shit for the Ikari Warriors in the blink of an eye. They started off undefeated... and now, Leona was their only one remaining. It was the cruel, cruel fate of fighting tournaments: riding high one second, crashing the next.

Thankfully, he felt a little better when Leona came to lift him up. Seeing her managed to raise his spirit a little.

"Ungh... let's go see Clark, shall we?"

Leona nodded with a small smile. "Yes."

 **Whew! Another round almost in the books! Things are going to get so juicy from here on. I simply cannot WAIT for you all to read it : )**

 **Next Chapter: the dramatic conclusion to Round 2, as... you-know-who fights you-know-who ; )**


	22. Chapter 22: Round 2: pt 6

While the stands were still packed with 80,000 people eager for bloodshed, the fighter stands were looking like slim pickings at this point. Kyo was all by himself now. K' was surprisingly still there, alongside Kula and Maxima. The Lone Wolves were gone, as well as Mai and Mary. The Sakazakis and Robert were gone.

Ash and friends (and Elisabeth, however she qualifies) were all gone, despite three of the four winning their fights easily and one losing without suffering injury.

The Agent Team was gone. The Psycho Soldiers were gone. The Ikari Warriors were gone, except for Heidern. He needed to see this.

Yuki and Ai were still hanging around, despite Ai's desire to go back to her hotel room and play videogames. The only notable people still there were Chizuru, Rose... and Geese, with a few extra bruises and a bloody nose. He refused to go to the hospital, electing to stick around for the conclusion.

For such an important final battle... many of them weren't there to see it.

 **ROUND 2 FIGHT #20: ADELHEID BERNSTEIN VS RUGAL BERNSTEIN**

"Hold still... ugh! HOLD STILL!" Chizuru commanded Geese, who kept instinctively snatching her wrist as she tried to put a bandage on his nose.

"HURRY UP!" Geese growled through clenched teeth, wincing at the pain of his nasal organ being forcefully handled.

"Why don't you just go to the hospital? I can handle things from here." Chizuru argued.

"No! I need to be here to see this Rugal thing dealt with."

Chizuru looked down at the combat zone. "I just hope... Adelheid can do it..."

In the arena, Adelheid stood at the ready. His eyes looked only forward, towards the "blue corner" where the man who wore his father's face would emerge. All other things were peripheral; he could only see that entrance clearly. Even Rose went unnoticed by him, despite her doing everything to prepare him from massaging his shoulders to warming up his calves.

Finally... the crowd broke out in mixed reception as Rugal Bernstein himself walked out of the opposite end of the Coliseum. He looked every bit as ruthless and bloodthirsty as the man of old, who once encased his victims in molten iron and displayed them as trophies.

Despite his regal posture, he still looked incredibly savage. His long, unkempt white hair, his shirtless torso with unnatural obsidian skin, his piercing red eyes... this looked like a Rugal from one's worst nightmare. Whoever designed him obviously had fear in mind.

Adelheid's entire body shivered as he gazed at that monstrosity. Was he... afraid? No... he was trembling with anger. This THING... how dare he spit on the grave of his father! While Rugal Bernstein was no saint, he still didn't deserve to have his memory disrespected by this mindless killing machine. This thing deserved death. It deserved to be nothing. It had no future, but to be purged into oblivion and erased from existence. It was a nasty, wicked pariah: a disgrace to human nature.

Adelheid's fists clenched; this thing was going to DIE. It didn't matter how many people watched.

His intense focus was broken when a familiar pair of lips pressed against the corner of his mouth, deepening for only a second before pulling away with a gentle smooch.

"Come back to me, brother."

Those were the words Rose left for him as she walked away, turning around just long enough to shoot one last worrisome gaze. She didn't want to show it outwardly but... if she lost Adelheid, she would lose a vital part of herself. Her soul would be incomplete, less than a husk without him to complete her. She couldn't live without him. If he were to lose his life, then she would... she would just...

"This shit is about to get REALLY interesting." K' exclaimed, showing a bit more enthusiasm than normal. He was even on the edge of his seat, leaning over with his elbows propped on his lap.

Kyo said nothing; he only seethed with fury as the unpleasant memories came back the longer he stared at that face. That damned face, that nearly claimed his father... it was a good day on Earth when Kyo destroyed that man.

At last, Rugal stood firm inside the combat zone. His eyes seemed to glow even brighter when they locked onto Adelheid... like a shark seeking blood.

"I don't like to take life... but yours doesn't really qualify." Adelheid spat. "You've spent your last day on Earth, monster."

Rugal said nothing.

 **FIGHT!**

Adel came out screaming, charging at Rugal with his zeal soaring like a dragon. He leaped high, coming at him with a tremendous flying kick, which slammed into Rugal's chest and actually managed to back the big man up a step or two.

Adel was relentless with his kicks. He threw fast, hard, mean... left and right alternating constantly. Rugal managed to keep up with his tempo, bouncing the powerful blows off his forearms... but they still hurt like hell. If he was a lesser man, his arms would have fractured by now.

Adel went high with a jaw-breaking roundhouse... but this time, Rugal sprang into action. He intercepted Adel's leg with his OWN kick, knocking his "son's" leg aside before it could reach him and throwing Adel seriously off balance.

"D-damn... OOOUGH!"

Adel finally got a taste of Rugal's raw power, as his monstrous fist smashed into his jaw and busted his lip wide open. He saw his own blood fly from his mouth, hitting the ground in an erratic pattern.

His vision went dark for a split second, like a flickering light, before returning just in time to see a second fist collide with his face. This one brought him down, as he dropped to one knee and his head hung low... he saw a mixture of blood and saliva slowly ooze down in a thick, viscous string. He angrily spat it out.

His fury rising, Adel spun in place to gather momentum and let the sole of his foot fly into Rugal's pelvis. Although that kick did impact clean... it was mostly for leverage, allowing Adel to push off of Rugal's body and go airborne.

His second kick flew fast and true across Rugal's jaw, knocking him sideways.

"ALRIGHT BROTHER!" Rose cheered. "MAKE HIM PAY! BLOOD FOR BLOOD!"

Fueled by his sister's encouragement, Adel grew bold. He came forward and let loose a right kick into Rugal's stomach, then pivoted his left hip forward and came across Rugal's temple with a looping kick. As his body spun with the kick... he came around and went airborne once again.

At the peak of height, Adelheid raised his foot above his head and brought the heel crashing down on Rugal's skull. The Coliseum seemed to rumble from the awesome impact, a testament to the gruesome power the young Bernstein held in his legs.

"Holy shiiiiit... Adel's got some mean kicks." K' gave a wolf whistle upon witnessing that last attack.

"This is going well, I'd say." Geese nodded, a hand on his chin. "You think the kid can pull it off, Chizuru?"

"Don't jinx it, Geese. Just watch." Chizuru requested, her face intensely focused...

As many times as Adelheid had pounded Rugal with earth-shattering kicks, the man didn't go down. He was harder to drop than a bull. He seemed only pissed off by the attacks, showing no signs of weakening.

"Ungh!" Adelheid's body flew as his chin was met with a nasty uppercut. The eyes of the fighters widened when they saw how high Adel went... no person should get that much air from a mere punch.

Rugal's face twisted into a grin as Adelheid's body descended towards him... and he had a nasty surprise in store. Instead of letting the boy fall to the ground, Rugal drew his leg back and kicked Adelheid in mid-air like a soccer ball.

Adelheid went on a much bigger flight that time, crashing hard several yards away and skidding against the hard surface. He winced as he felt his skin tearing, the solid ground ripping it apart from the stinging friction. The kick itself suddenly felt a little less painful, now that he had something else to focus on; his skin felt like he had crawled through barbed wire.

"Ngh... ahh... grrrrrr..." Adelheid's grunts were a mixture of fatigue, pain, and the animalistic rage coursing in him. He was hurting a little now... but that damned face made him suck it up and walk forward. He hated that face!

"HYAH!" Adelheid kiai'd as he let his foot fly upwards, producing a forceful wave of his chi that soared along the ground like a medium-sized Reppuken. He put quite a bit of power into it, judging from its impressive size and speed.

Rugal only gave a sickening grin as the raw chi energy soared towards him. He was waiting for this... so he could match Adel's might with his own, and outclass him.

"REPPUKEN!"

Rugal raised his foot high and slammed his heel against the Earth, making the entire Coliseum rumble viciously. This sparked a tempest of the largest, fiercest, blazing blood-red chi that towered high above Adelheid's and soared towards him like a subway with the brakes cut. The spectators, the fighters, Chizuru and Geese... their mouths could only drop as they witnessed the horrifying marvel of this artificial energy.

"Impossible... how could man create such power?!" Geese growled. He was obviously a little intimidated, as this Reppuken was leagues above his own.

Adelheid's projectile didn't stand a chance; Rugal's Reppuken plowed through it like it was a dust mite and slammed into the boy, frying him with its intense energy.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAUGHHHHHHHHHH!" Adelheid screamed as his body succumbed to this unholy power, the force so intense he thought his flesh was melting from his bones.

"BROTHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!" Rose was on her feet, tears flying as she watched her beloved Adelheid get swallowed up in the horrible red energy field. She closed her eyes, praying that he would emerge still breathing...

...Her prayers were answered when the field dissipated. Adelheid was still standing, wearing much less clothes now: only a tattered pair of pants. But he was still STANDING. It seemed that, at the last second, he had activated his reflect barrier to try and counter the effects of the fierce projectile. While it didn't quite succeed, it did spare his life.

"I'M STILL STANDING! FREAK!" Adelheid howled, blood flying from his mouth with each word. Even now, his resolve was high as a mountain.

Rugal snarled, his eyes flashing bright as he charged at Adel, leading the dance this time. Adel matched his speed with his own, and these two determined spirits clashed in the middle...

Absolute mayhem ensued. Rugal slammed into his stomach with a straight right, but Adelheid roared and countered with an uppercut. He quickly went low with a leg kick that smashed into Rugal's left knee, then he switched to his other foot and brought it up high with incredible flexibility. Rugal's head snapped back as his chin took it full-force, his lower jaw clashing against his teeth like a rusty gate.

Rugal slingshotted back forward with a furious combination, going body to head with punches before topping it off with a roundhouse that crashed into Adelheid's shoulder. The force was so tremendous that Adelheid felt his shoulder pop; he knew it was dislocated. Already the pain was flaring up badly, pretty soon preventing him from throwing that hand the way he wanted to. But for now, he would keep firing on all thrusters until the pain stopped him.

Adelheid lunged and cracked Rugal's temple with a left hook. Rugal fired back with a punch twice as hard, folding him inwards as it plowed into his stomach. He followed up with an uppercut, sending Adelheid on his back feet and his head woozy. He came forward with a THIRD attack, throwing an incredibly fast right kick that slammed into Adel's ribs like a baseball bat.

Adelheid started to collapse... he just couldn't keep up with Rugal's pace and aggression. For every hit he landed, Rugal seemed to come back with three more that hurt Adel thrice as bad. That thing just wasn't human... he couldn't slow down like a normal man. He couldn't get tired like a mortal being.

Adel willed his wobbly legs up... he couldn't quit, even though his body begged him to. He couldn't slow down... he had to constantly hit Rugal. He had to hurt him. He had to give him a reason to fear him. He needed to gravely injure him; open his eyes a little. Teach him some respect.

Rugal raised a fist to pummel the weakened Adel... and that's when the young Bernstein launched a desperate attack.

 **SLASH!**

Rugal's eyes widened. He felt his shoulder flare up; what was that? It actually... hurt! Is that... is that his blood? His blood is spurting... seeping into the ground, forming a red puddle all around him. It's spilling... spilling out fast. Whatever Adelheid hit him with, it was serious.

He looked up; Adelheid was in the air, his leg high above his head, a long curving contrail of chi forming a huge arc. No... that was HIS move. His Genocide Cutter. Surely Adelheid didn't...?!

Rugal's left arm went dead, incapable of movement. He couldn't lift it, form a fist... anything. He seemed quite angry about it too, as he flashed the most vengeful of eyes towards the opponent who just marred him.

"YES!" Rose cheered, leaping up and down with glee. "FINISH HIM BROTHER! HE'S DONE!"

"How does it feel to see your blood, monster?" Adelheid growled. "Prepare to see MORE of it!"

Adelheid charged forward, despite his incredible fatigue. He continued to will himself forward. He was so tired... so hurt... but Rugal had to go down. Just a little more, and he'd go down...!

"FOR MY FATHER!"

Adelheid let his heel fly in reverse across Rugal's face. It smashed into his eye, splitting his eyebrow wide open and producing a horrid cracking sound. The left side of his face was painted red in seconds, and his eye... it ominously darkened. If it was a fake eye, maybe Adelheid broke it? Whatever the case, Rugal now had only one functioning peeper.

"YES! KEEP WORKING HIM!" Rose urged.

Heidern was on his feet now as well, his spirits rising. "GO, ADELHEID! BRING HIM DOWN!"

Chizuru even joined in on the support. "HE'S ALMOST THERE, ADEL!"

Adelheid never felt more powerful at this moment. He felt so much support, so much energy from his peers... they warmed up his insides with their fiery words, igniting him, setting his spirit ablaze despite his weariness. He knew he was going to win this. Just a few more hits.

He came at Rugal with no fear. No hesitation. Nothing Rugal had could hurt him anymore. He had already felt the worst of it. He took every shot, and he's still up. He was going to win this. For Heidern. For Rose. For his fath-

"Kaiser Wave."

He was in full motion. He couldn't stop, even when he saw Rugal lift his one good arm. He could only widen his eyes, clench this teeth... and curse. He was staring death right in the face. He could see the energy forming, gathering around Rugal's outstretched hand, the same color as the blood he spilled upon the ground. It was so huge... was he about to die? No... not now. Not when victory was at hand. This couldn't really be happening! He was so close...!

Adelheid's eyes closed... and he uttered only one word.

"Rose..."

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

All he could see was red. It flew at him, hitting him face-first, engulfing him. The pain... it hurts so bad... his body was moving backwards... no! NO! Rugal is right there! He's so close! He can almost touch him! NO! His feet are leaving the ground... he's flying backwards now. Rugal is getting further and further out of reach... feet... yards... unreachable now. He was so close... and now he's let everyone down...

Grande Coloseo di Howard looked like it'd been hit with a meteor. A piece of the wall had given out, crumbling to the ground after being torn through by an immeasurable energy. Thankfully, it wasn't an area where spectators were sitting... otherwise, there would be a high fatality count right now.

Amidst the rubble lying all over the ground, one figure lay flat in the center. His body was completely motionless, debris falling all around him.

 **WINNER: RUGAL BERNSTEIN**

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Rose screeched to the high heavens as she ran out there to his limp body. She fell over multiple times in her high heel shoes, to the point that she kicked them off and sprinted as fast as her feet could take her. Already tears and saliva were leaking from her face, the unsettling wails sending a shiver to the skin of everyone watching.

"Damn that guy..." K' cursed.

"Should we help?" Maxima asked.

"No. Let's get the hell out of here."

"B-but K'..." Kula whispered.

"We don't need to be here for this. It's their personal business." K' urged. "Now let's go."

Kyo also took the moment to quietly slip out of the Coliseum. He didn't want to be here for this either. It was selfish of him... but he had washed his hands of all this. It had nothing to do with him. The only thought on his mind was why he didn't leave sooner.

"ADELHEID, WAKE UP! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE! WAKE UUUUUUUP!" Rose wailed as she shook him repeatedly. Her words couldn't even be understood, as they came out as blubbers.

"This tournament has gotten out of control!" Chizuru scolded Geese. "I told you this would happen! I TOLD YOU, GOD DAMMIT!"

"DON'T F***ING YELL AT ME!" Geese screamed back. "YOU...you..."

...But the fight was drained from Geese. He couldn't deny it anymore, no matter how much he wanted to. With a sigh, he hung his head low.

"...You're right. You were right. Chizuru. I should have listened."

Sensing that Geese was being cooperative, Chizuru wisely turned off her aggression. She took a gentle approach, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Now then... are you ready to solve this Rugal problem?"

Geese looked at her. "Yes."

"Then let's meet at your suite tonight. We'll discuss it in private."

Geese took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Fine... but for right now, go ahead and get the people out of here. And for god's sake, make sure Adelheid pulls through."

Chizuru managed a small smile. "Good. Let's get this tournament back on track."

Quickly making her way to the center of the ring, Chizuru readied her microphone:

"ATTENTION EVERYONE! PLEASE DON'T BE ALARMED! ADELHEID BERNSTEIN WILL RECEIVE MEDICAL ATTENTION! TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR THE PULSE-POUNDING ROUND 3 OF THE TOURNAMENT! SAME TIME, SAME PLACE! FOR NOW, DON'T FORGET TO STOP BY THE HOTEL TONIGHT FOR POST-FIGHT INTERVIEWS, AUTOGRAPHS, AND A SPECIAL BANQUET TO HONOR THE WINNERS! THANK YOU!"

With sighs of relief, the spectators begin to gradually spill out... until the Coliseum was desolate. The fighters were also leaving; K's squad was gone, Kyo was out, Heidern left furious. Yuki and Ai were the only ones still around.

"Cmon, Ai. Let's get out of here." Yuki took her hand and helped her up.

"It's about time! I wanna go crash in bed already!" Ai whined.

"You know we can't. We have media obligations." Yuki grinned.

Ai frowned. "YOU do. I'm going to bed!"

"Cmon, don't leave me alone..."

In the middle of their argument... Yuki felt a chill up his spine. He had felt it before, many times in the field... when someone had a gun on him.

Remaining cool, he discreetly darted his eyes to see if there was indeed an assailant nearby. He couldn't see much in his peripheral, but he saw the faint outline of a man with a white labcoat. He could have sworn he saw the shimmer of glasses on his face...

"Ai. Contact. Nine o'clock."

"Huh?"

"Look slowly."

Getting the message, Ai very discreetly cut her eyes to the corner: sure enough, she saw the same thing Yuki did. There was a man standing there, a notepad in his hand, writing furiously as his glasses shimmered. There appeared to be a grin on his face.

"Should we move on him?"

"...No. Let's get a picture of him. Can you tag him from this distance?"

"Yeah, no problem."

Ai whipped out her NeoGeo Pocket, which had been optimized with a state-of-the-art camera. Angling it so she didn't look suspicious, she pressed the button and captured him fully in the screen.

"Good. Take a few more, just to be sure."

"Gotcha."

In the corner, the scientist in question was so absorbed in his notes that he didn't realize he was being watched. He was blissfully ignorant, writing away as he chuckled. To no one but himself, he uttered these words:

"Brilliant, Rugal! Absolutely brilliant! You continue to amaze me. You're our finest work. Nothing else even comes close to your greatness."

 **OUTSIDE THE COLISEUM...**

Rugal had managed to get away, albeit with one less eye and a dead arm. He seemed to be in the clear. As he was injured, his primary inclination was to return to wherever he could be repaired...

...Little did he know, he was being followed.

"Where do you think you're going? We're not done here, freak."

Rugal growled as he turned and met the rage-filled eye of Heidern. The commander got into stance, his hands poised to kill.

 **And that's it for Round 2!**

 **Art of Fighting: Ryo**

 **Fatal Fury: Terry, Joe, Geese, Krauser, Yamazaki**

 **World Heroes: Hanzo, Dio**

 **King of Fighters: Kyo, Iori, Athena, Leona, Benimaru, Rugal, K', Ash, Shingo, Elisabeth, Duo Lon**

 **NeoGeo Battle Coliseum: Yuki**

 **The plot is gonna get juicier soon. But for now... who, who, WHO can step up and defeat this monstrous beast called Rugal Bernstein? Maybe you'll find out next chapter. Maybe you'll guess in the comments.**

 **Since we're down to just 20, I'd like to hear your predictions for who wins this thing. Of course, I've had the winner planned since the beginning and nothing will change my mind at all lol. But I still want to hear it! I want to know your thoughts, and who you're rooting for! All 20 of them have a very good chance of winning (except Shingo LOL)**

 **Next chapter: Post-fight stuff. Oh, and Bonne Jenet tries to steal the money. No, I'm serious! Lol.**


	23. Chapter 23: Post-Round 2

**A lot happens in this chapter lol. I look forward to seeing you break it all down in the reviews ; )**

Two rounds of this grueling tournament were officially over. 80 battle-hardened combatants stepped into the ring... and now only 20 remained. These 20 had the distinction of being called the best of the best... or maybe they had lucky matchups. Regardless, history would see them as the elite for having come this far.

Not many fighters were unscathed at this point. For this brutal tournament that lasted a whole week, the injuries from previous days would carry over and only serve to hinder their combat effectiveness. Luck and stamina played such a huge factor in things; one could be riding high and accidentally twist their ankle, rendering them powerless to continue. The combatants constantly faced a knife at their throat, carrying this knowledge as they progressed.

In terms of the 20 finalists, K' was the healthiest of them all. He had yet to take a single clean hit, barring a leg kick or two from King. Elisabeth and Ash weren't far behind, as neither of them were wearing any notable injuries. Duo Lon was also in perfect shape, having mastered the dark Hizoku art of materializing a new body.

Leona was as fit as could be. Nobody had come close to hurting her. Athena got a little banged up in her last fight, but no worse for wear.

Geese, Krauser, Yamazaki had all taken their share of hits, but none of them were close to throwing in the towel. Terry had taken a hit or two, as well as Ryo, but they too persisted.

And who could forget the mysterious Dio? This creature of ultimate power seemed incapable of even getting hurt. Nothing, even the most powerful chi, had been able to damage him at this point.

On the other side, the fighters in the WORST shape were Joe and Shingo, without a doubt. Both had been through absolute wars to get to this point, and their faces were showing it. Their bodies had been battered with crushing blows, their brains bounced around more than once inside their heads. If anyone had a disadvantage, it was those two.

Iori was also cause for concern, as he had taken some gnarly hits from the vengeful Billy Kane.

But perhaps the BIGGEST story... was Rugal Bernstein. Although he emerged victorious in the end, Adelheid didn't go down easily. The young man gravely injured Rugal, destroying his left eye and slicing his left shoulder deep, to the extent that his arm on that side couldn't be moved. How would he continue from here on? Would his secret, barbaric mission carry on until his last breath? Was his only purpose to fight and kill until his body was no longer capable?

 **OUTSIDE THE COLISEUM...**

"Are we gonna go to the party, K'? Huh? Are we?"

"You should really go see your sister, K'."

"Party party party!"

K' shut his eyes tight as his annoyed fangs bared for all to see. Maybe if he just didn't look at them, they'd go away... not that he didn't like Kula and Maxima, but they wanted to go other places besides bed right now, and K' couldn't object harder to that.

"Cmon guys, I'm tired. I need my rest, since I'm still in this damn never-ending contest." K' grumbled, hands in his pockets.

"You've made it so far!" Kula squealed. "I'm so proud of you~"

Without warning, Kula leaped on K's back and hugged him from behind. The gloomy kid didn't seem bothered by it, but maybe he was just masking his emotions well. No... he didn't yelp until Kula planted a big smooch on his cheek.

"H-HEY! Did I give you permission to kiss me?!"

Kula blushed bright red. "Tee hee hee hee... no~"

Maxima remained silent throughout this goofy interaction... but the smile on his face couldn't be hidden by even the thickest mask.

Their cute little moment was interrupted when K' suddenly tensed up, as if sensing some alarming commotion. Maxima sensed it too: the sounds of battle, in the distance. It was undeniable to two fighters such as themselves, who could hear the signs naturally.

"K'!" Maxima shouted.

"You hear it too?" K' announced.

"Hey? What is it? What's going on?!" Kula asked, already left in the dark.

"Someone's fighting, and the round's over. Let's go check it out." Maxima declared.

"Cmon... do we really care?" K' groaned.

"Yes, we care! That's who we are!" Maxima fired back. "CMON!"

"Right behind you!" Kula followed.

"Fine..." K' reluctantly joined.

K's squad sprinted fearlessly towards the noise of the ensuing struggle. As they got closer they could hear grunts, blows landing... and then... silence. Whatever it was, it just ended.

As K' rounded a corner, his eyes widened when the source was revealed: it was Heidern, laying on the ground, semi-conscious. There was nobody else in sight.

"Heidern!"

The commander coughed a few times as he rolled over on his stomach to try and recover. K' quickly dropped to his knees and lifted Heidern's head into his lap.

"What the hell happened?"

Heidern winced before speaking. "Ugh... cough cough... I'm a fool. I'm the biggest fool there is. I don't know what's right anymore. I thought I had followed the path set out for me. I thought that kid... COUGH COUGH... was the one to end it...ungh..."

"Well, he lost. Big f***ing deal. The world moves on." K' fired back.

"You think I can just- COUGH COUGH... move on?!" Heidern shouted. "That thing is still breathing! If Adelheid can't finish the job then... aghhhhh! Damn all this!"

"Just shut up, Heidern. You've talked enough." K' commanded. "Save your strength. Maxima's gonna lift you onto his back."

The cybernetic giant approached Heidern, giving a respectful nod before grabbing him. "Here we go...1, 2, THREE!"

Heidern groaned in pain as his body was abruptly moved so. "Ouuuugh... Leona...men... forgive your stupid, stupid commander. Even now, I couldn't keep my emotions in check. I'm supposed to keep it in... keep it in, and keep us alive..."

"I won't begrudge you a moment of violent passion towards your family's killer." K' retorted. "But you are indeed a dumbass. You know you didn't stand a chance."

Heidern was too tired to converse any further. He just allowed his body to go limp against Maxima, and enjoyed the free ride to the hospital.

 **HOSPITAL**

The party might as well have been at the hospital, because that's where all the fighters were. Whether they were checking in, checking out, or just visiting loved ones, this was the number one hangout spot for the contestants. The waiting room was the main attraction, as fighters were pouring in and then subsequently checking out to either go to the hotel party or go to bed. Of course, the latter was heavily favored over the former; nobody was in the mood for another stupid banquet when the beds were beckoning their aching bodies.

"MISS SHIRANUI!"

The yells of the flustered hospital staff echoed as the kunoichi in question was causing absolute chaos in the hallways. She had attracted a huge posse of camera-wielding fanboys, who were currently shooting her up and down while she posed in her hospital gown. Yes, Mai Shiranui could make even the most humble and degrading of clothing look attractive... especially the way she wore it.

"Miss Shiranui, GET BACK TO YOUR ROOM NOW!"

"Hee hee! Aw, you wards need to lighten up. I'm just having fun!" Mai winked. She turned back around and struck several poses: a hand behind her head, leg extended, turning around and sticking her butt out for the photographers to get a generous shot, laying prone on the floor, her legs kicked up.

"M-Miss Shiranui, your hospital gown. I-It's exposed in the... b-back area." the blushing ward stammered, shamefully staring at her backside as Mai happily offered it to the photographers.

Mai only giggled mischievously, not caring in the least that she was exposed. She was just happy to be in the moment; to bring some fun and excitement to the gloomy hospital, especially when it meant her being the center of attention. She needed this lifting of spirits... especially after seeing Andy in the hospital bed, his handsome face so viciously battered.

A few doors down from the commotion, Ryo was having a moment with King. Terry was also in there, since Mary shared a room with her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Terry asked one more time, out of concern for Mary.

Mary smiled. "I'm fine, baby. Go check on your brother and then get out of here. Get some food, get some rest. They'll let me out of here any time now."

Terry nodded, leaning down to give her a soft kiss on the lips. "I'll be waiting."

Bogard straightened his cap and walked out of the room, giving a passing nod to Ryo who returned the favor. He then turned his attention back to King.

"So what's the diagnosis?"

King winced slightly, but produced a smile. "Heh... my ribs are wrecked. It was a terrible, terrible idea to fight K'. I'm the stupidest person in the world. Ha ha ha ha..."

"But you would do it again, wouldn't you?" Ryo grinned.

"Absolutely." King winked.

Before Ryo could open his mouth again, they were interrupted by a loud knock at the door. A second later, the door swung open and a nurse stumbled inside.

"I'm s-s-sorry, they wouldn't listen. I t-tried to insist...!"

The nurse was pushed aside, the owner of that rude, brusque arm none other than...

"You!" Ryo growled.

Polished black shoes. Khakis. An eggplant-purple pimp coat. Bald head. Mustache. Sunglasses, even in the most inopportune places.

But Mr. Big wasn't alone; flanking him from behind were some very familiar faces, to King and Ryo at least. Jack Turner, Mickey Rogers, and John Crawley... his old gang. Out of everybody back then, those three were his most loyal goons. And once upon a time... King was the fourth.

"King. Nice to see you awake." Big opened, his tone surprisingly... not rude for once. It was a more humble, more solemn tone he took in the hospital room.

"Are you guys here to start trouble? Because I can still get out of this bed and twist you like taffy." Mary threatened.

"Just be quiet, girl! I'm talking to King!" Big snapped. THERE was the tone of voice people were familiar with.

Big and gang pushed past everyone, approaching the hospital bed until their large frames loomed over King. Ryo was sweating bullets, so tense he could swing at any moment...

"What do you guys want?" King asked, immediately getting defensive. She didn't exactly leave the gang on pleasant terms.

"What you did out there was totally foolhardy." Big berated. "But you... you've got guts. More than the rest of us combined. I guess it was always that way, though."

King felt her guard slightly loosen... but only slightly. It was weird seeing Big reminisce about the old times with her. Was he offering her one last nostalgia trip before whacking her in the hospital bed?!

She once again tensed up when she saw Big reach a hand into his coat... Ryo's nerves were screaming at him to jump in!

...But surprisingly, Big didn't have a gun waiting. No, he was instead holding a fancy glass bottle, a cork nestled in the top of it. Dusting it off a few times, he extended it to her.

"Um, me and the guys here pitched in and... ummm... got this for you. Enjoy."

King's eyebrow raised as she accepted the bottle in her hands, scanning its contents up and down. She turned it and read the label.

"Veuve Clicquot... this is some pricey champagne." King's eyes widened.

Big cleared his throat. "Ahem, um, l-listen King... I just wanted to say something. Then I'll leave."

King's eyes once again focused on him. "Yeah?"

Big rubbed his bald head a few times, seeming to struggle getting these words out. But, with a deep breath, he finally spoke:

"Y-you... you... you were my finest henchman. No matter what happened back then, you'll always be one of us."

As soon as those words escaped his mouth, he turned around and forcefully pushed his men towards the door. It was a very sloppy escape... but King was too flustered to get a word out anyway.

"H-hey what about me? I thought I was your number 1 guy."

"Shut up John."

"Cmon man, we were in the army together!"

"SHUT UP JOHN!"

The commotion carried on outside, eventually being drowned out by the loud slamming of the door.

None of them had words. They were in such, utter disbelief... did that really just happen? Did that bombastic, narcissistic asshole really just have a moment of humility for once in his stuck-up life? Did he really just... forgive King like that, after she betrayed them?

"King... you okay?" Ryo asked, his first and foremost thought of her.

"Y-yeah..." King's response was barely audible, just a sharp breath really.

"How you feeling?"

"I... I'm tingling all over..."

"Come here."

Ryo leaned down and gently pulled her in for a hug. King allowed her body to melt in Ryo's grasp, as all the pent-up tension stored from that encounter spilled out of her. At that moment, King felt... so good about herself. So at peace. When she entered this tournament, she never thought she would end up airing out the nasty laundry of her past. But now that it was over... she felt truly grateful to be a part of this magical week.

 **MEANWHILE...**

Terry walked slowly, hands in his pockets, towards the room where his brother resided. Just a quick in and out, then maybe he'd go see Mary one last time. No... she would get annoyed. Maybe just a minute or two with Andy, then off to bed. He still had to feed Anton, after all; the poor thing was probably lonely right now in Mary's hotel room. Maybe he needed to go out, too.

Terry walked over to the door; surprisingly, Joe was standing outside it. His face was extremely bandaged up, from the bloodbath he had against Hwa Jai. He looked a little uncomfortable about something.

Terry reached over to touch the doorknob... and Joe opened his mouth.

"Uhhh, maybe you shouldn't...uhh..."

Terry looked at Joe with a raised eyebrow, but Higashi didn't respond. He just looked away, scratching his head awkwardly. With a shrug, Terry opened the door wide and walked inside.

...As soon as he stepped in the room, he knew what Joe was talking about. It hit him all at once: a huge, sinking feeling, like his organs were drowning in quicksand. His body froze up, his eyes locked forward. He felt his muscles seize up, locking tight.

Andy was peacefully sleeping, his face bandaged neatly. And, sitting just a few feet away from him... was Terry's sworn enemy.

Geese looked up for only a second to acknowledge Terry's presence before looking away. In a strange twist of fate, Andy was sharing a hospital room with Billy Kane, who was in the adjacent bed to his left, also taking a nice nap. Geese had come to see Billy; how inauspicious that Terry was to see his brother at the same time.

As strange as the moment was... it didn't feel hostile. Geese didn't seem to care that Terry was there. His face remained stern, somewhat solemn, as if he was deep in his own world. Terry actually felt himself easing off a bit; maybe he could get out of here and avoid the total awkwardness.

...But as soon as he turned to walk away, a soft voice stopped him.

"Bogard."

Terry shut his eyes; his worst fears were realized. With a gulp, he turned around and met the eyes of the man he did anything to avoid. It was strange seeing Geese's face not cocky, nor aggressive... he was so unnaturally calm.

"The vending machine spat out two sodas. Here. Take one."

The insanity continued, as Terry found himself questioning whether this was reality or if he had smoked some funky pipe. The man he had every reason to despise, who took his father from this world... was offering him a soda. Was he even awake right now?

With a shaky, uncertain hand, Terry accepted the drink. He stood there and nervously twisted his cap for a few seconds, then abruptly grabbed a chair and took it over to Andy's side.

What followed was perhaps the most awkward minutes ever recorded by history, as two men who came close to killing each other on numerous occassions sat in silence and sipped their respective sodas. Terry felt his limbs unconsciously moving, his leg tapping against the floor... would that annoy Geese? Would Geese Reppuken him if he kept tapping? A better question... was Geese even feeling the same awkwardness Terry felt right now?

Terry shot a glance his direction... he didn't seem uncomfortable. He was still wearing that same face... like he had something vivid in his mind, some conundrum he was diligently exploring. It was so unlike him; usually in Terry's presence, he would be threatening to send him to join Jeff. Had life really moved on so much, that the two of them could feasibly have a moment like this?

"...I'm tired, Bogard. So tired."

Terry had to rub his ears just to comprehend that. Did he... just strike up a conversation with him?!

Well, great. Now Terry was trapped. He had no choice but to invest in this, or potentially turn the situation sour. With another fumble of his cap, he spoke:

"What's on your mind?"

Geese put down his soda, and tilted his head downward. A hand stressfully massaged his forehead, like the words he was trying to say bore so much weight it was tiring to get them out.

"I've done so much shit in this life. Too much. I'm ready for it all to be over." his words came out like a fatigued sigh.

"We've all done a lot." Terry played along.

"You just don't understand." Geese argued. "You're a good man, Bogard. Your father was a good man. You're the kind of people that deserve to live peacefully, with the ones you love. You deserve to die old in your beds."

He raised his hand, looking into his palm as if to measure the stains. "But not me. I've done enough shit in this life to get a first-class cabin in Hell. It's my legacy. It's who I am. But that's not ALL I am. There was a time when it was so simple... when I was trying to be the strongest there is. In the midst of all the immoral things, martial arts was still my passion."

Geese clenched his fist and looked up at Terry. "I speak from the heart when I say King of Fighters is the one thing in this life I did right. It's my baby, above all else. It's my brainchild, my work of art. That's why I have to win."

Terry leaned closer, actually invested now. "So what are you saying? Is this tournament gonna be your swan song or something?"

Geese nodded. "I want to win this tournament more than you can possibly dream. I MUST win. And when I do... I'm going to retire. From everything."

Terry raised an eyebrow. "You gonna off yourself?"

"No!" Geese corrected. "I mean I'm walking away from it all! I'm leaving everything I've ever done, everything I've ever been, behind me. ALL of it."

"You're gonna run away? Go live in the mountains like a hermit? Go on a pilgrimage? Do a little fasting?" Terry half-teased.

"Don't mock me, Bogard. And don't mistake me for a coward, either. I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. I've lived long enough to know that there's no escaping from my sins. When I die, I'm prepared to face the consequences. But as long as I'm breathing, I have the right to choose how I want to live the rest of my days. My mind is made up."

Terry shrugged. "The world doesn't just forget a man like Geese Howard."

"The world isn't going to forget me." Geese replied. "I know I'm going to be remembered for a lot of shit. But I want to choose what to be remembered FOR. I don't just want to be the asshole that did unspeakable things to rise to power. I want to be the man who brought King of Fighters to the world, and brought all the best martial artists together. That's why I'm going to win this thing... and it will be the last thing I ever do. This will be what people remember me for. Winning MY tournament."

Terry put a hand to his chin as he processed Geese's words. It was surreal; this was perhaps the first time he had ever seen Geese fight for a noble cause. No backstabbing, no stepping over corpses to achieve a position of power... just a martial artist who wanted to go out doing what he loved. He felt Geese''s sincerity in his words... his passion. Geese Howard was being more honest now, in this hospital room, with his sworn enemy, than he had ever been.

"...I'm rooting for you, Geese."

Now it was Geese's turn to be surprised. When his head shot up and stared at Terry, he looked like he had heard the most absurd words ever uttered. This kid... no, this MAN... he had wronged him so much. How could he have the audacity to say he was rooting for...?!

"Bogard... T-Terry..."

"You're right, Geese. You're absolutely right." Terry continued. "I am lucky. I'm more fortunate than you. I've found peace with myself, have a woman who loves me as much as I love her. This tournament means more to you than it does to me, or anybody else. I see that now."

Geese's eyes narrowed in concentration. "I'm glad you understand. Thank you."

Terry managed a smile, albeit smug. "But don't think this exempts you from a beatdown. I'll never get tired of punching you Geese, as long as you keep presenting your face to me. If we fight, I'm not going to hold back. I never have, against you. I never will."

Geese replied with one of his classic shit-eating grins. "We ARE going to fight, Bogard. I have the power to make it so. And I promise you this, boy: if you get in the way of my final moment of glory, I'll send you to join Jeff."

Terry laughed. "Hahahahahaha! THAT'S what I've been waiting to hear."

Geese and Terry looked down at their sodas: empty. They actually lasted a whole conversation... this was true progression.

Terry stood up, giving a nice stretch. "Ahhhh... well Geese, I'm gonna go hit the hay. Have a good night and go to hell you sick monster."

Geese grinned. "Send me there, kid."

 **ICU** **(INTENSIVE CARE UNIT)**

Leona, Ralf, and Whip were all on their feet, thankfully. But Clark was still well out of it; he had stabilized, but waking up was out of the question. The doctors kept him pumped full of pain killers and anesthetic. He just needed to hold completely still... just hold still, and heal.

"I still can't believe this happened to Clark. That damned monster..." Whip cursed.

Leona remained silent... but despite her composed demeanor, a suppressed rage was brewing inside her, growing bigger with each second she saw his body laying there. Leona tried hard... so very hard... to keep it inside. But right now, she felt the struggle; she felt herself exerting effort to keep her emotions in check. As her heart beat more and more, she could only pray that nothing would set her off.

...And then Ralf stormed in the room with the worst possible news.

"LEONA! I just saw them roll Adelheid in... and HEIDERN TOO!"

She was out of the room before a syringe could drop. Whip tried to keep up, but she was still recovering from injuries.

Leona ran, ran... she saw the doctors entering the room. That must have been theirs!

"FATHER!" Leona yelled as she stormed into the room, shoving past men in white coats and blue uniforms.

"Ma'am, please step as-"

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Leona screeched, shoving the nurse aside. She ran up to the bed, where they were still hooking Heidern up to an IV. His eye was closed... and she nearly lost it.

"FATHER, SPEAK TO ME! PLEASE!" Leona begged, grabbing him and shaking him. Personnel tried to intervene, only to be shoved aside.

...Her outburst was quelled when she heard these barking words:

"Leona! Compose yourself! NOW!"

Upon hearing her commander's voice, Leona went stiff. She instinctively stood at attention, her eyes facing perfectly forward. But deep inside her... her nerves were melting with relief.

"I'm fine- COUGH COUGH... I'm fine." Heidern groaned. "I just made a mistake, that's all."

"Sir, what happened?" Ralf asked.

"That thing got away... I tried to chase him..."

"He put you here?!" Leona snarled. "First Clark, now you?!"

She could feel it bubbling again... boiling upwards... almost spilling over...

"Leona, please. I did what I did. It's my fault." Heidern calmed her. "I thought I had found peace with this situation. Obviously, I was mistaken. As long as that monster's still alive, I can't move on."

"...I'm sorry, sir..." a weak voice rasped from beside him.

They all turned their heads and saw that Adelheid was awake. He was groaning, wincing, every few words followed by a cough.

"Cough cough... I have failed you. I failed my sister, my late father... and I failed your loved ones, Heidern. I will carry this shame forever."

"No. Stop it, Adel." Heidern fired back. "It wasn't your burden to bear. I put it on you. The truth is, nobody should blame themselves for having to deal with this abominable creation. Only those who brought that wretched thing to life should receive judgement."

Adel groaned. "Unghh... h-he's badly hurt. I almost had him, sir. At least... he can be finished now... cough cough cough!"

Upon hearing those words... Leona's eyes narrowed. Her lip curled downwards, as her fists clenched. She knew what she had to do.

 **PART 2: POST-FIGHT NIGHT**

Bonne Jenet actually got to enjoy being the center of attention, since no other girls came to the banquet except Kula. While the ice girl did get her fair share of attention from the paparazzi, many more were focused on the voluptuous blonde and her sexy, flirty confidence.

In a strange turn of events, however... Bonne Jenet was not there for fun and games. She was on official business.

"Nice hat. Where'd you get it?" the shady enigma known as Malin asked, the girl casually twirling a dagger in her hand.

"It was given to me by the greatest pirate in history!" Jenet enthusiastically answered. "Now, let's focus! Are you in or not?"

Malin shrugged. "Hm. Well, I didn't get the chance to fight for that sweet two mil... so I guess stealing it would be justice for me. And I AM very good at that."

"That's why I want your help. I must carry on the legacy of the great Captain Kidd, and that means being the best modern pirate I can be! I'm going to steal that money, so wherever he is... he'll be smiling at me~"

Malin grinned. "And you're going to split it with me."

Jenet's eyebrows furrowed. "Sigh... yes. 50/50 is fair, no?"

Malin flashed a thumbs up. "So, can we really do it on our own? I bet Chizuru is guarding it pretty intensely."

Jenet scoffed. "Well, what do you want from me? A third man? That means we have to divide the money between three instead of two."

"Yeah, well we need some muscle in case things don't go smooth. We may have to take it from Chizuru by force." Malin argued.

"Well, who do we ask? There's nobody here!"

"...How about her?"

Malin pointed to the corner... to a mysterious woman in pink and white. She had an angry scowl on her face, one hand on her scimitar... and one hand downing a glass of hard liquor. She looked ready to cut anyone who dared open their mouth.

"Hmm... well, she definitely has the look. I think she'd fit in quite nicely with us." Jenet nodded. "But are you sure about this?"

Malin grinned. "Yeah, yeah! We'll be like the Three Musketeers, eh? Robbing the rich and feeding it to... ourselves!"

"Uhh... you got that one all twisted up."

"Whatevs. You wanna go talk to her?"

"I'm not going over there alone! Buddy system!"

"Okay, okay."

Deciding two heads were better than one, Malin and Bonne Jenet both approached Sinclair at the same time. As soon as Sinclair saw their looming shadows, she slammed her glass on the counter and partially unsheathed her sword.

"I'm giving you one chance to walk away. Leave me alone!"

"Hey hey! No need for hostility!" Bonne Jenet tried to appease.

"Yeah, we're here on official business. You wanna make some cash?" Malin asked.

"...How much?"

"Uhh... a third of that prize money!"

"...Keep talking."

 **LATER THAT NIGHT...**

At last, it was the moment Chizuru had been waiting for... and dreading. She would meet Geese, in his private suite, to finally discuss how to put an end to the issue plaguing their tournament: Rugal Bernstein.

Even as she stood outside his door, she could only lift her fist to the wood and hold it there. She absolutely didn't want to be here; if she wasn't such a damn good host that cared about people's safety, she would walk away right now and leave Geese to deal with this on his own.

It took a moment of mustering her will. She closed her eyes...1...2...3!

KNOCK KNOCK!

It took a while for any response on the other side. But eventually, to Chizuru's dismay, the door eventually opened and Geese met her. He must have just got out of the shower, since his hair was sopping wet and he was only wearing a red robe.

"There you are. Thought maybe you were stalling." Geese greeted.

Chizuru smirked. "Well, I am SO eager to be here."

Geese rolled his eyes. "Come inside. I'll pour you a drink."

Chizuru shut the door and got comfy on Geese's couch as he made her a glass of cognac. After bringing it to her, he sat down in an adjacent chair so the two of them could face each other.

"Alright... you wanna start?" Geese asked.

Chizuru nodded. "Okay, first course of action. We actually have a chance of solving this thing, thanks to Adelheid. Rugal won, but he's badly hurt."

"So?"

"So, we take advantage of his injuries. We make him the first fight of Round 3."

Geese nodded. "Good. But that leaves the question... who is brave or stupid enough to fight him?"

Chizuru leaned over. "You and I both know there's one man who can beat Rugal. He beat him before. Twice."

Geese scoffed. "You seriously gonna try him?"

"What else am I gonna do?!"

"Well, get him on the phone then. Let's see where his head's at."

Crossing her legs, Chizuru whipped out her cell phone and browsed her contacts. She made it to the K's: Kyo was the only one under that letter.

Pressing the dial button, she put it to her ear and held her breath.

...

...

...

 _"What?"_

"Kyo. It's Chizuru. I... I need you."

 _"I know. And you already know my answer."_

"D-Don't tell me you-"

 _"I've already paid my dues. This has nothing to do with me."_

"Kyo! You're the only one who can beat him!"

 _"You're wrong. You shouldn't underestimate the others. Or maybe... you shouldn't put me on a freaking pedestal. I'm not the answer to all life's problems, Chizuru. Not anymore."_

"Kyo-"

 _*CLICK*_

"DAMN IT!" Chizuru threw her phone in anger. Luckily, she aimed for the soft furniture.

"Well, that was brilliant." Geese laughed.

"Shut up! What are we supposed to do now?!"

Geese shrugged. "Well, I'm not fighting him. I've already got my opponent in mind, and I'm NOT going to hear any shit about it."

Chizuru sighed. "Fine. Well, that leaves us with 18 to pick from. Who's it gonna be? Help me out here!"

Geese grinned evilly. "Trust me... you're not going to like my answer."

"Try me."

"Here's a little quiz for you: what exactly caused Rugal to be obliterated and wiped from the face of the Earth?"

Chizuru's eyes popped. No... he wasn't serious...!

"You're out of your goddamn mind."

"Hahahahahahaha! I told you you wouldn't like it!" Geese cackled.

"You're talking about some taboo shit here. You start bringing Orochi into this, you're not just gonna endanger the tournament... we're talking the WORLD."

Geese held a hand up to silence her. "Look, hear me out. All they gotta do is trigger the Riot. They'll go ballistic, tear Rugal limb from limb, and then you can help bring them down."

"Are you serious? Do you SERIOUSLY thing I can control Yagami? He's too dangerous! We can't let him loose!"

"...Then the other one."

Chizuru looked down, as if mulling it over. "Leona... you can't ask her to do that. Do you know what the Riot made her do?"

Geese shrugged. "Well, it's her or nothing. Look, she is our best bet! She's already feeling vengeful over her comrade and her father both getting put in the hospital because of that thing. She'll jump at the chance to help us."

Chizuru let out a long sigh. "W-well... she WOULD be better than Iori. I'd feel more comfortable bringing her down instead of trying to quell Yagami's rage."

Geese grinned. "Then, problem solved. We win."

Chizuru put a hand to her forehead, massaging it a few times. "Yes... I'll talk to her tomorrow. But I'm not happy about this."

"You'll be happy when that monster is gone."

"Yes, but there's still the question of who created that th-"

Chizuru's words got stuck in her throat. She leaped to her feet, her head swiveling towards the door.

"Intruders. At the Coliseum."

Geese raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

Chizuru closed her eyes, concentrating... her hands on her temple, focusing intensely...

"Ngh... ah... someone... no... three girls... are trying to steal the money!"

Geese growled. "Oh hell no."

Chizuru ran towards the door. "Stay here! I can get there faster!"

"Don't you want backup?"

"I can handle it!"

Before Geese could utter another word in argument, the door slammed. He was left standing there, glass in hand. His face turned to disappointment, as he plopped back in his chair with a dejected sigh.

"Sigh... well damn. So much for asking her to stick around a while."

 **I'm sorry, I gotta pick this up again next week. I want this chapter to go out, so I can have something to look forward to while I'm at work. Thanksgiving week is hell X_X**

 **Next chapter: Bonne Jenet's money heist in action! Also, Round 3 preparations. Please, grace me with your lovely feedback. I love getting review notifications while I'm at work lol. Love you all!**


	24. Chapter 24: B Jenet's Heist

**This chapter is a wreck lol. Let's just get this over with and move on to Round 3.**

Three attractive, ambitious ladies, on a top secret misson: to claim the prize that was out of reach. For two of them, their fight was in vain. For the third one... she just liked to steal stuff.

In the shroud of the night sky, they were able to get inside the Coliseum with little difficulty. Security was lax, and Malin was their secret weapon for getting past the cameras.

"Boom! Another camera out of commission. This is fun!" Malin grinned wide as she reveled in her handiwork. With her catlike agility, she leaped back to the ground and stuck the landing easy.

"Nice work. Okay guys, let's head for the vault." Bonne Jenet declared, acting as sort of the de facto leader of this little heist. It was her idea after all.

The three ladies made their way in the inside of the compound. Through several hallways, lobbies, utility rooms... they knew the vault was close by. Jenet licked her lips, her mouth watering at the thought of two million dollars in her grasp. Being a pirate was SO fun. The thrill of it all: taking what she wanted, living a life of freedom, following nobody's way but her own... it was pure bliss.

"Alright, listen up. In case we run into any security... I want you guys to use non-lethals only. So Malin, put up all your uh... pointy, stabby things."

"Aw what? But that's like, everything I have!" Malin whined. "Even my yo-yo has blades on it!"

"Well, just retract the blades or something!"

"Guh... having less fun now..."

Totally disregarding Jenet's request, Sinclair instead drew her scimitar from its sheath and brandished it, a smile of bloodlust spreading on her lips.

"H-hey! Didn't you hear me?" Jenet berated.

"I don't take orders from you, girl." Sinclair hissed. "You two can play nice if you want, but I won't be dragged down by your weakness."

"Jeez, what a hardass." Malin grumbled.

"Just remember, bringing her was YOUR idea." Jenet reminded.

Malin stuck her tongue out in response.

It took a bit of searching, as the Coliseum was impressively large, but the three of them covered ground quickly and stealthily. Bonne Jenet was leading the expedition, as if the woman had a NOSE for money. Throughout hallways, corridors, doors one and two and three... she could feel that the cash was close by.

And finally... they found the one lucky door that led to it all.

"If my pirate intuition is correct, and it always IS... this room should lead to the vault."

Malin scoffed. "Girl, you are full of it."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Oh yeeeeeeah~?"

"Yes! Go ahead and open that door, and I bet you two million dollars it's not gonna be the right... oh."

Bonne Jenet swung the door open, grinning ear to ear as a defeated Malin stared in awe at the prize before them.

"Wow... even the vault looks impressive."

Jenet strutted forward. "Feast your eyes, ladies: this little metal box contains all the riches that we were deprived of. Ha! Why should we have to risk mangling our beautiful faces for cold, hard cash? Taking what we want is so much easier. Ahahahahahaha!"

Malin rubbed her hands greedily. Sinclair wore a sadistic smile, also exhibiting her lust for the money.

Bonne Jenet and company slowly approached the vault, prepared to blow that thing to pieces or do whatever it takes to get the prize inside...

"That's far enough, ladies."

They swung around in a flash, like cats startled by a sudden noise. Their faces broke out in nervous scowls as they met the eyes of the woman they feared could muck things up...

"Aw shit! Chizuru's here!" Malin cursed.

"H-how did she..." Jenet stammered.

"It doesn't matter." Sinclair grinned. "This little hostess is about to meet her end."

"H-hold on Sinclair! W-w-we can't kill her!" Jenet argued.

Chizuru was unfazed by Sinclair's threats. She stood up straight, arms folded, eyeing them left to right.

"What do you think you're doing? So what, you couldn't win the money fair and square, so you're just going to steal it? Where's your honor as fighters?"

Jenet rolled her eyes. "Honor as fighters? Ugh! That's just a bunch of overrated, phooey tradition! That stuff doesn't actually mean ANYTHING. It's a bunch of stupid man-made standards created to make people have less fun!"

Chizuru shook her head in pity. "I suppose the law is also such a thing? Because you're also breaking that."

Jenet gave a cute wink. "I'm a pirate, love. Laws have no power over me! Tee hee hee hee!"

Chizuru frowned, getting into combat stance. "Very well then. Just be thankful I came and not Geese. He wouldn't be nearly as merciful."

Malin whipped out her stun rods. "Cmon, blondie! We can take her!"

Jenet got into stance. "My thoughts exactly."

Jenet led the dance, charging in recklessly to gather speed. She draped her dress in Chizuru's face, attempting to blind the woman, as she spun around and threw a back kick aimed high at her face.

Chizuru swayed out of the way of the purple cloth and quickly swatted her foot off course. At that exact moment, Malin came flying towards her with her stun rods extended.

"YAAAAAH!"

Malin hit her mark perfectly... or so she thought. While her weapons did indeed touch Chizuru, there was no impact as anticipated. No... her weapons passed right through her, as if there was no solid form there to hit!

Malin gasped as she landed sloppy, utterly confused as to how she missed. The next thing she felt was a hard chop to the back of her neck, courtesy of an ambush by Chizuru from behind.

Chizuru spun around just in time to parry a sequential left and right kick from Jenet. The pirate queen tried to spin around with a third kick... but the same thing that befell Malin also happened to her. Her kick, sure to hit its mark, instead merely passed through Chizuru's form as if she was some spectral entity.

"GAH?!" Jenet yelped as the astral Chizuru disappeared and a solid one plowed into her, thrusting a hard palm into her chest that knocked her on her butt.

Sinclair watched these events unfold, biding her time. She stood perfectly still, eyes focused, her hands maliciously tracing the curves of her scimitar...

Malin and Jenet rushed Chizuru at the same time. Malin whipped out her yo-yo, twirling it around her head before letting it shoot forward. The yellow toy homed in on Chizuru's face... but it once again passed right through her.

BONK!

"OWWW! DAMMIT MALIN!"

Unfortunately, Jenet was on the other side of the astral Chizuru, and the yo-yo struck her in the forehead. She could only curse Malin's name as she fell to the ground, a large red welt forming quickly.

Malin growled as she tried to locate the real Chizuru, looking around in all directions. But the woman was always one step ahead...

As Malin turned around once again, a solid palm struck her directly in the nose.

"Agh! Shiiiit..!"

Chizuru continued to the face with an openhanded slap, then followed up with a spinning kick to the chest that floored her.

Jenet howled as she tried to charge at Chizuru with a flying kick... but Chizuru's body turned transparent before her eyes and the kick went through her. Before she could even land, a solid Chizuru came from the left and knocked her out of the air with a flying kick to the stomach.

Chizuru spun around: two knives were headed towards her body. Malin was obviously done playing around. But dodging them was no great feat for Kagura, who moved her body out of the way of each successive knife.

Malin threw them as a diversion, to mask her approach; she closed distance on Chizuru and tried to knock her off her feet with a sweep kick. Chizuru somersaulted forward, vaulting off of her head... and she was able to nail Jenet with a kick as the pirate queen had closed in at the same time.

"Ungh! SINCLAIR! ANY TIME NOW!" Jenet growled with annoyance. She went high with a kick to Chizuru's chest, but the woman gracefully rolled it off her wrist and spun around with a palm to Jenet's ribs, dropping her to her knees.

Malin came at her from behind. This was it... her back was turned!"

Angry and desperate, Malin whipped out her giant hammer, intending to smash Chizuru like a watermelon. But, the wondrous power of the Yata Mirror knew no bounds; Chizuru knew she was coming, without having to look in her general direction. The attack was destined to miss, and Chizuru was the prophet who foretold it.

As the hammer flew forward, Chizuru's body once again became a transparent after-image. Still with her back turned, the solid Chizuru came DIRECTLY at Malin... and drove her elbow backwards into her stomach.

"OOuuuuuuuf..."

That was the last hit Malin could take, as her wind was forcefully ejected and her body rendered powerless. She fell over, giving out one last pathetic squeak like a chew toy.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!' Jenet came at Chizuru and started swinging furiously. Punch, punch, kick, kick! She swung and swung, blowing every last ounce of energy she had.

After-image. After-image. After-image. Every. Single. Chizuru. Was. A. Stupid. ILLUSION! Jenet was getting pissed off, as she was playing whack-a-mole with the most elusive woman she ever threw hands with.

She swung at Chizuru's face; the body vanished and Jenet took a left hook. She spun around and kicked the Chizuru behind her; the body vanished and Jenet felt a hard chop to the side of her neck. Jenet spun around with a wild backfist; her fist went directly through the Chizuru before her... and a solid one came directly at her and decked her in the face.

"Augh... ugh... can't... hit her... aughhhhhhh..."

Jenet gave one last groan of defeat as she collapsed to the ground. She was utterly defeated, not only from the accumulation of blows she took... but her morale was crushed, as she had expended all of her power swinging at thin air. She had nothing left.

Chizuru looked down at the two girls, allowing herself a slight moment to... admire her handiwork. It felt pretty good, admittedly; while she didn't like violence, she DID enjoy martial arts. Being left out of the tournament had left her with a slight bitterness... but this moment actually instilled some passion in her. In a weird way... she was thankful for Jenet, for the girl's crazy shenanigans.

The woman turned around, dusting her hands off... and a blade rammed through her favorite blouse.

"AH!" Chizuru yelped as she was able to jump back in the nick of time, to avoid her flesh getting cut. She was thankful to be unharmed... but seeing her beloved top ripped wide open made the woman uncharacteristically ANGRY.

"Now you die, Kagura!" Sinclair growled, brandishing the weapon that committed the crime.

"Attagirl, Sinclair! Show her who's boss!" Malin rooted.

"Silence. After I finish her, you two brats are next."

"H-HUH?! C-cmon Sinclair, I thought we were partners!" Jenet whined.

"Eliminating you two means eliminating your cut of the money." Sinclair smiled. "Since I have to do the hard work and defeat this woman, there's no reason I should share in MY riches with you two annoying incompetents."

"Not... cool." Malin groaned.

"Ugh, I'm rooting for Chizuru now." Bonne Jenet grumbled.

Sinclair twirled her scimitar rapidly as she closed in and started swinging at Chizuru with decapitating blows. Chizuru clenched as she focused, timing the arrival of the blade as it came towards her... she had to move with no hesitation, not a second wasted, or it would surely rend her.

Sinclair aimed the tip and thrust towards her face... Chizuru grunted as she bent backwards, playing limbo with the deadly weapon as it slipped right past her eyes... she could have sworn she felt the cold steel graze her forehead.

Chizuru dove to the ground and rolled to safety, springing back up just in time as Sinclair charged at her. She had to slow the woman down...!

Focusing her psychic abilities... she materialized an astral Chizuru and sent it soaring towards Sinclair with the elbow extended. To the woman's amazement... it actually hit her, as if that hologram was made of flesh and bone!

"Agh! What...?!"

Sinclair leaped back up with a growl, looking forward... but there was just one Chizuru standing there. That was fine with her; one target to hit.

The assassin twirled her sword a couple times, walking forward menacingly... but her task would become a lot more complicated when she saw what appeared before her.

One Chizuru. Two Chizurus. Three Chizurus. Four. Five Chizurus. Six Chizurus. Seven Chizurus. No more were needed; Sinclair was already utterly baffled.

Each one was authentic; no transparency, no distortions, no momentary flickers... they all looked as real as could be. All seven of them even had ripped shirts. The woman was obviously using a lot of power to keep them whole and keep Sinclair guessing.

"Hmph. Resorting to cheap parlor tricks? Are you trying to intimidate me?" Sinclair growled, holding her blade upwards.

"I have news for you, hostess. My blade can smell your cowardly blood where you stand! I'll cut your quivering body to pieces, no matter how many illusions stand before me!"

All the Chizurus stood perfectly still, all wearing the same stone face, as Sinclair began chanting an ominous spell. A glowing ring began to form around her, as the woman summoned her fearsome chi for the first time.

The ring broke off into sections, like fireflies floating around her in orbit. It took a few seconds for the individual orbs to expand, taking on a very particular form...

FWOOOOOSH!

Sinclair pointed her scimitar forward, commanding the chi around her to take the shape of a flurry of blades. Each one flew with pinpoint, deadly precision...

Each Chizuru gave a realistic cry of pain as a sword-shaped projectile stabbed into them, dropping them one by one, like a domino effect, until all seven had fallen. They all lay flat, motionless, like a row of corpses.

A pleasant smile washed over Sinclair's lips, the woman pleased with herself. Brandishing her scimitar, she walked over to confirm the kill...

...But her amazed eyes shot open when all seven bodies vanished.

"What? NO!"

She swung around, attempting to draw her weapon again... put a hard palm struck her hand and shoved the sword back into its scabbard.

A second palm followed, slamming into her jaw, turning Sinclair sideways as her saliva involuntarily flew from her loosened hinges.

She could have sworn Chizuru was in front of her... but another Chizuru drove her elbow into her ribs from behind. A third Chizuru flew at her from the left, foot extended, crashing into her cheek and knocking her off her feet.

...And lastly, the cherry on top... Sinclair looked up and saw Chizuru... the REAL Chizuru... come down on her head from above with a vicious heel drop. Her lights went out instantly, as the last thing her eyes saw was a foot.

Sinclair fell over, unconscious, right next to the aching bodies of Malin and Bonne Jenet. The Three Musketeers were in formation, sprawled across the ground, each one sharing their own form of bodily pain. In this case, all for one and one for all meant sharing in equal agony.

Chizuru dusted herself off, before reaching up to straighten her hair. "Are we done then? Good. Security will escort you off the premises. I suggest you go back to your hotel rooms, and don't pull anything like this again. If you do... I WILL give names to Geese. And whatever he does to you, I'll look the other way."

Bonne Jenet stood back up, both body and pride injured. With a pout, she collected her special pirate hat given to her by Captain Kidd, plopped it on her head, and turned to help Malin up.

"Cmon Malin. Let's scoop up Sinclair and go."

Malin looked down in disgust. "Can't we leave her here? Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll get locked up."

"Nah... she'll just take us with her."

"Grr... fine."

"Brilliant idea bringing her with us, by the way."

"Shut up! This plan was doomed from the start!"

The two blondes bickered the whole way, as they were forcefully escorted out of the Coliseum. With this annoying diversion officially over, Chizuru gave a loud yawn and made way to her cozy bed.

 **This was an attempt to lighten the mood with some silly shenanigans and give Chiz some action lol. I consider this a total failure and a waste of time. I didn't even feel any fire as I typed it. So... let's forget it happened xD**

 **Next Chapter: Round 3 begins. Leona steps up to avenge Heidern and Clark as she battles Rugal Bernstein... to the death! 20 will enter, 10 will leave! Stay tuned!**


	25. Chapter 25: Round 3, pt 1

**This chapter should turn this story M rated... but it'll be our secret. This is as gruesome and violent as this tournament will ever get. Viewer discretion advised.**

 **Also, full kudos to Rex Madison for the "Yuki installs forcefields" idea. Thanks buddy! That will actually help me out greatly down the road.**

In Round 3, everything would get a hell of a lot more serious. This was a time of breaking points, tensions at their peak, eternal rivals unleashing their fury, vengeful souls fighting for their very lives. The weak had been all but weeded out; from here on, only the strongest of the strong would stand tall. 20 contestants had fought the toughest battles to get here... and now, only 10 would advance to the quarterfinals.

First and foremost... some business had to be taken care of. There was a monster on the loose, and he had already claimed four victims too many. Two of them, precious to the girl who carried the name Heidern with pride.

Those people were her family. She fought alongside them, spilled blood with them, faced impossible odds at their side, hand-in-hand. Leona didn't have much in this cruel world... but she had her men. They were her most precious things. There was no taboo she wouldn't break, no boundary she wouldn't cross to protect them.

That's why... she had to become something terrible. She had to become hatred, menace, a demon in flesh and blood. She had to be pure evil itself, to protect what she loved.

"Leona. What I'm asking of you isn't easy..."

She barely even paid attention to Chizuru's words. She already knew what the woman was asking of her, and her answer was formulated before the first breath was uttered. Heidern would certainly object; there he was, coming this way now. Leona was a soldier; following orders, above all else, was her prime directive. But this time... just this once... she had to disobey her commander to do what's necessary. She could only hope he forgives her.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Heidern barked. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'RE ASKING OF HER!"

"She's the only one who can do it, Heidern." Chizuru stood firm in her decision. "We'll take good care of her."

"You are NOT going to make her trigger that! Don't you understand that she HATES HERSELF for being that?! She tried to kill herself, for god's sake!"

"...Sir." Leona jumped in.

Heidern was shocked when Leona's meekness faded before him. She walked up to him, posture upright, her face level with his.

"...I'm doing this. With, or without your word."

Heidern's eye widened. "Y-you what...? No! Leona, think about what you're...!"

"I have thought about it. I thought about it all night long. That... THING... cannot be forgiven. It can't be spared. He hurt you, and he hurt Clark. That's too far. I'm going to kill that thing... before it causes anymore suffering..."

"Leona..." Heidern's voice broke slightly, a true testament to what she meant to the ice-cold commander. "I can't lose you..."

"And I can't lose you guys. That's why I have to do this. Sir."

With a salute, Leona turned her back and walked away, leaving Chizuru and Heidern to process the gravity of things. The woman looked over; Heidern was close to losing it. She didn't know what else to do, but offer a consoling arm on his shoulder...

"Damn this for having to happen."

"There's no other way, Heidern. She... she's going to make it."

"...She better."

Leona was, for the most part, at peace with herself; she certainly didn't mind dying as long as it was for a noble cause. But if she was going to do this... she had one thing left to take care of. She needed to see... somebody. This man, for better or worse, was connected to her; they were forever entwined in a special, screwed up way that only the two of them could understand.

Thankfully, he wasn't too far away. He was in an isolated portion of the locker room, straightening his hair in the mirror. He had removed his head bandage. His hair was damp; maybe he was washing caked-on blood out of it.

"Hey."

Iori's first instinct was to spin around and growl at whoever dared bother him... but when he saw who it was, he abruptly mellowed out.

"...Hey."

They stood there awkwardly for a second, words still taking time to brew properly. Neither of them were really much for the whole... talking thing. One barely showed emotions, and the other showed too MUCH emotion. But fate connected these two... and their destinies would go hand-in-hand.

Leona finally spoke. "I have to do something drastic to end this thing. It's going to put a lot of people at risk. If I lose control... I want you to do it."

Iori said nothing, but his eyes told her that he received the message loud and clear. He knew all too well what she meant. He was the only one she trusted to do it... because he was the only one in the universe who understood.

"You know I would do the same for you." Leona continued.

"...Yeah. That's why my answer's yes." Iori finally replied.

Leona extended her hand outwards. Iori looked at it for a few seconds... before extending his own to meet hers. This was their agreement: their binding contract, to watch over the other and do what was necessary if things went awry. They both had a horrible burden to live with... and that's why they needed each other. On the occult, satanic half of her existence, Iori was her watchful eye, her protector... and her euthanizer. She didn't ask for him, and she didn't want him... but she was grateful he was here to share it.

 **ROUND 3 FIGHT #1: LEONA HEIDERN VS RUGAL BERNSTEIN**

"Yuki, Ai, talk to me." Chizuru held her cellphone up to her ear. She was sitting in her booth, watching the stands from afar.

"Yuki here. We just finished installing the forcefields." the agent responded from down below. "I can trigger them remotely. Just give the word."

"Thanks, but... I'd feel better if I personally had control of them."

 _"Oh... by all means. I'll give you the device, and show you how to use it."_

"Thank you Yuki... I'm grateful for you. Now we can protect these people properly."

Chizuru hung up and awaited Yuki's arrival. At that same time... the gate opened and out walked the monster himself. Immediately, he was swarmed with the most ear-splitting onslaught of boos ever produced.

...But that thing didn't care. The concept of human judgement was lost to him. His purpose was to kill. Even with one functioning arm, one eye... he would fight and maim until his body no longer allowed it.

"Ugh. I'm ready for this asshole to go bye bye." Benimaru groaned.

"Leona will be the one. I'm sure of it." Kyo boldly predicted.

"Leona scares me... but I'm still rooting for her over that yucky Rugal clone!" Mai squealed.

"That girl's got nerves of steel. She's the one to end this." Terry assured.

On the Ikari Warriors side of the stands... Heidern was a nervous wreck. His hands squeezed his lap so hard, the gloves were the only thing preventing his fingernails from digging into flesh. He was about to watch his daughter, the only family he has left, risk her life against that barbarian. If she died in front of him... he couldn't go on. Seriously. It would be the last straw, the last thread binding him to this cruel world. If Leona dies, Heidern would join her. He told nobody this...

"This is screwed up. Leona shouldn't have to do this!" Ralf cried. He could really only convey his feelings through anger, after everything that's happened.

"Leona... please be safe." Whip prayed.

When Leona emerged from the other end, she was met with an uproar of positivity. It seems the crowd was on her side; maybe they too were ready to see an end to Rugal Bernstein, whether they understood what was about to happen or not.

"This could get very dicey." Chizuru worried. "We're about to see a bloodbath. How are we going to get away with a live death on television?"

"We tell them the truth. That's not really Rugal." Geese replied. "It's a fake. Nobody has to feel anything for it."

"Will they buy it?"

"They have to. Rugal is long dead, and they should be smart enough to know there's no coming back from what happened to him."

"Hm... we're gonna have to be quick and tidy about this. Public opinion is like a wildfire."

"In f***ing deed."

Leona finally stood before the monster. She closed her eyes, taking the deepest breath her lungs had ever partaken in. This was her most important moment. She was about to do something... truly terrifying. It was against all that was good, unleashing a nightmare that should be bound by the thickest chains and most solid walls. She just had to remember what she was fighting for; when her mind snaps, her sanity dissipates... that was her most vital key. This was for the betterment of humanity. She was becoming evil to REMOVE evil.

"Alright... do it." Iori muttered, his thumb being forcefully chewed between his teeth.

Leona closed her eyes... and focused. She allowed the purest of negative thoughts to enter her mind. It all came flooding back in an instant: that night... the night she slaughtered her own people. The night she was activated, like someone flipped her "ON" switch and let her loose on the people she loved. That night... the night that changed her into a completely different person. She was STILL that person, even now. Although Orochi was sealed, its influence can never truly be extinguished.

Deep down, in the darkest, most sinful depths of her heart... she can hear his voice speaking if she allows it to be heard. She squeezed her eyes extra tight, and listened... casting away her innocence, her protective shroud... to hear that voice.

 _ **"Let the world fear you. Let the world hate you. Shed your mortal skin, and wear the flesh of the Alpha and Omega, the one with the power to return all to whence it came. Let your fists carry His will, let your heart bear His noble ambition.**_

 _ **You are the acolyte of God himself. You are the one who delivers His judgement. You are His weapon, His almighty tool of righteous destruction. Fulfill your purpose... carry out His grand design...**_

 _ **KILL! DESTROY! PURGE! CLEANSE! RETURN ALL TO ITS NATURAL STATE! RESET EVERYTHING TO ZERO! NOTHINGNESS!**_

 _ **KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILL!"**_

She could feel it... her heart beating violently... so violently, the blood burst from her vessels. She felt warmth trickling from her orifices... her irises began quaking, bouncing around her eyeballs, the patterns in the retina of her eyes slowly disappearing, her pupils shrinking... shrinking... until nothing remained but darkness.

She felt an explosion inside her, like a warm balloon, its contents bursting so intensely, so violently... she was forced to tilt her head back and scream with all her might.

"Gugh... ugh... uhhhk... ahh... AHH... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Oh lord in heaven. This is so wrong." Ryo winced.

"L-Leona... she looks like she's in pain." Yuri softly declared, not even able to look without cringing.

"She is." K' assured her. "It's a horrible, horrible thing to live with. I don't envy her."

In the stands, Iori was close to puking. He stuffed his hands against his mouth so hard, they nearly went down his throat. He collapsed, his body wriggling and seizing as the Orochi influence gave off a horrid miasma that affected all those unfortunate enough to bear his blood. His insides were pounding against his walls, like a parasite threatening to rip through him and consume him.

"GUHHGK! GRRRRH! UGHHKKK!"

"Oh shit. KYO!" Chizuru screeched upon witnessing Iori starting to lose it. She was on her feet immediately, sprinting over there to help get him away.

"I've got him!" Kyo shouted in response. He ran over there to Iori and grabbed him, lifting him over his shoulder and putting him in a fireman's carry. As fast as his legs could move him, he took Iori far away from this wretched, demonic aura floating in the air. For that one moment... Kyo forget that he had officially screwed all responsibility he once bore.

"HOO HOO HOO HOO! HAHAHAHAHA! WHOOO! WHAT A RUSH!" Yamazaki cackled, as he felt his Orochi blood bubbling inside him, so intense he held a hand to his chest. Although he was too insane to ever be influenced by it... he still got an incredible thrill when it tried to worm its way into his consciousness and overtake him.

Heidern looked away; he couldn't bear to see her like this. As his eye shut tighter than it had ever shut, a single tear was forcefully squeezed out...

What now stood in Leona Heidern's place was a hunching, twitching, snarling beast with blood-red hair and eyes devoid of any color but white. Blood trickled from her mouth, leaked from her eyelids... and her light blue chi was now a devilish dark green.

Leona looked forward; she could only see red. Red... RED... EVERYTHING RED. In front of her... enemy... KILL...

 **FIGHT!**

With an animalistic howl, Leona sprinted like a methed-out serial killer, blood and saliva flying from her jowls like a rabid dog. Her movements had no restraint, no discipline... she was practically a zombie smelling flesh and abandoning all safety to feast upon it.

"GRRROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAGH!"

Rugal was undeterred; his one remaining eye glowed violently as he leaped into the sky, heel raised... and brought it slamming against the earth with a volcanic eruption of his chi.

"REPPUKEN!"

His incredible energy rammed into the approaching Leona, dropping her hard and swallowing her whole in its crimson waves. Leona's body vanished inside the tempest of fearsome power as it blazed a trail through her.

...But suddenly, the wave of chi parted like the Red Sea. Left, right, two halves the pure energy split into and traveled in opposite directions. And standing in the center, her hand extended like she had sliced through it like butter... an unharmed Leona.

"GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Leona's guttural growls sent a chill in every spine as she sprinted towards Rugal and closed distance on him. The dark-skinned monster lunged forward, unafraid, and sent his foot soaring across her jaw, knocking her backwards. Leona stumbled back a few steps, her body eerily bending backwards... before suddenly posturing up seconds later and spitting a long string of blood from her lip.

"KILL... KILL..."

Rugal's eye flashed, as he lunged in with his signature move. "GENOCIDE CUTTER!"

His foot trailed forward implausibly, impossibly fast, the accuracy and speed as keen as a master swordsman. His foot carved a lethal trail of chi in a wide, deep upwards arc.

...But Leona met steel with steel. As his slashing foot threatened to gut her, so too did she lunge in and swing her blade-like hand upwards. The end result was their chis clashing like dueling katanas, complete with a loud CLANG and sparks flying.

Leona was the first to recover from the stalemate, leaping high and spinning around, sending her foot on a collision course with Rugal's face. Her hit landed clean, so monstrously powerful that the large man was felled with a single blow. Nobody knew if this was Leona's natural strength or the awesome, awful power of the Riot... but the latter was a much better guess.

Rugal leaped back upwards... and his jaw was literally sideways. The man acted like it didn't even hurt, like it wasn't even a bearing on his well-being. He continued to plod forward, despite it creepily swinging like a loose hinge.

Rugal drew his fist back and smashed into Leona with a clean hook, the force strong enough to topple a mountain. Leona's body bent... but her feet stayed rooted. Any other being on the planet would have been dropped like a pencil.

Rugal snarled as he brought his fist back the other way, backhanding her face from the opposite side. As his fist went in reverse and crashed into her, once again her body swayed like a tree in a powerful gust... but her feet stayed planted once more.

Perhaps baffled as to how she was still standing, Rugal took things up a notch. He protruded his hand, spreading his fingers wide; a fearsome red chi began to gather in droves, creating a huge wave..

"KAISER-"

 **SLASH!**

Rugal looked down... his arm was gone. Vanished. Where? Where was it?! That thing... laying on the ground... it was... HIS!

The reality began to set in for Rugal as blood gushed from his stump, his severed limb laying across the ground with the fingers still extended. And at that moment... the creature known as Rugal Bernstein felt fear for the first time of his artificial life.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! HAAAAHAAAHAAAHAAAHAAHAAAAAAAAAA!" Leona tilted her head back and cackled menacingly, smearing Rugal's blood all over her skin with orgasmic glee.

"I'm gonna be sick..." Yuri groaned, burying her head in Robert's chest. He gently stroked her hair, reassuring her.

"It's okay, Yuri... this has to happen."

"This is f***ed up. The most f***ed up thing I've ever seen in my life." Benimaru uttered as he shut his eyes and looked down. He clutched his stomach, like it was all he could do to avoid expelling his breakfast.

Geese was on the edge of his seat, teeth clenched. He couldn't deny himself a sadistic smile as he watched this monster get ripped apart.

"Go Leona. Finish it." Heidern quietly muttered.

Now with only one useless arm remaining, Rugal could only howl and throw a kick to Leona's body. His foot, still impressively strong, rammed into Leona's stomach and sent her back a few feet.

He tried to follow up with a second kick... but Leona drove her foot into his approaching leg and stopped it. A horrid cracking noise echoed as his kneecap caved inwards, his leg bending at an obtuse angle in a way it was NOT supposed to.

"GRRRR! RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!"

This cry actually came from Rugal himself. It was the howl of a desperate killing machine, looking to muster some form of offense when his body had been all but shut down. With no other weapons at his disposal, he drew back and headbutted Leona in the nose. Her nasal passage opened, blood flowing freely like a crimson waterfall... but she merely ran her tongue across her upper lip, tasting her own essence.

Rugal stepped forward and threw a kick with his bad leg... Leona caught his leg and dragged him to the ground, locking her legs around it and putting him in a kneebar.

She twisted and twisted, no regard for mercy, no consideration for humane treatment. She twisted his leg 360, 720, the limb basically not even a functioning body part anymore... just a useless toy, still clinging to his body and serving no function but Leona's amusement and making the audience sick.

Finally, after mangling his leg to the extent that getting up was impossible... she mounted Rugal and finished the job.

"DIE! DIE! DIE DIE DIE DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Leona chanted this word religiously as her straightened fingers dug into his chest, repeatedly, over and over, left and right hands alternating with each stab. She tore into him, wrist-deep in his insides, rearranging his innards like a jigsaw puzzle.

Rugal's body flailed and flopped as the life was ripped out of him. His blood flowed upon the ground in all directions, exiting his body to the last drop. Leona was bathed in it, head to toe, cackling maniacally as she stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, STABBED, STABBED, ST-

 _WE ARE EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. WE'RE SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE SHORTLY._

Millions of viewers across the globe were treated to cheesy Muzak and a cute chibi Mai waving her fans.


	26. Chapter 26: Round 3, pt 2

_AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS._

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 _YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE SHORTLY._

"...Are we rolling? Oh! Uh... you probably know who I am, just from my beautiful shiny bald head. Yes, it's your friendly neighborhood Mr. Big. Um, listen... that last commercial? Uh... just... ignore that one. Pay attention to this one! Because, I'm selling something... really important here! Yes! You see, I made this cream here... and you rub it on your head? And it uh... it makes your bald head have a fabulous finish! I mean, like a car that's really polished and stuff. This stuff... it does that to your head. A-and it only works on bald people! I might have left that part out... sorry... um, listen! I know I've probably sold you drugs and weapons and shit in the past, b-but I really have a good feeling about this one! I'm trying to go on the straight and narrow here! So, please buy Mr. Big's... uhh... Miracle... Shiny Head Cream! Yes! Mr. Big's Miracle Shiny Head Cream. I promise bald guys will really love it. Because, it doesn't JUST make your head shiny. It gives bald people more energy, and... better... uhh... sexual performance... with their partners. Yeah, like that natural male enhancement shit. So, buy some today! Big out!

 _KING OF FIGHTERS: ULTIMATE GRAND DREAM KUMITE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY..._

"Hiiiiii! Athena here! My new hit album "Psycho Rhapsody" is in stores now! Buy your copy today! Look for the Deluxe Version, which contains four more songs and a hidden B track! It uh... I think the deluxe album is... pink? No wait, it's purple and pink and... kinda sparkly. I think it's got some holographic... deal... going on with it. You know, you hold it up and move it around a bit... and it sparkles? I actually haven't seen it yet, haha. I think it's holographic, like a rare trading card or something. I'm sure it's awesome.

Welp, that's all the time I have. I have to go stop Leona before she kills everybody- OOP! I wasn't... supposed to say that. Tee hee! I love you all, byeeeee~!"

 _ALSO BROUGHT TO YOU BY..._

"Look, I don't wanna be put in front of a f***ing... oh. Shit. Okay. I have a list here... uhh... Pao Pao Cafe, Illusion Bar, Lee Pai Long's Hemorrhoid Pills, and, uhh... okay, look. Kula was supposed to do this. I really don't care about this at all, but they said I would look better on camera because I'm taller. Ugh. Look, I'll be honest here. I'm just stalling until they clean up all the blood. I just wanna go out there, kick whoever's ass they put in front of me, and go to bed. I hate this tournament. And I hate you all. So uh... goodbye. And screw you."

"K' don't say that stuff to the... agh, nevermind. CUT!"

 **WE NOW RETURN TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM.**

 **SEVERAL MINUTES EARLIER...**

"Put me down, Kyo."

"No."

"PUT. ME. DOWN."

"I don't think so."

"I WILL IMPALE YOU WITH YOUR OWN SPINE!"

"You're gonna have to do better than that. Hot air doesn't work on me."

"...I made a promise."

Kyo finally slowed down a step upon hearing those... unusual words.

"What?"

Iori struggled in his grasp. "I don't expect you to understand, because nobody else has to live with it like we do. But I promised I wouldn't let her hurt anyone close to her. She could be out of control back there right now! So quit being a stubborn ass and LET ME GO!"

Kyo rolled his eyes. "And who's going to look after YOU? If you go back there and your Riot triggers, we'll all be truly f***ed then."

"I can handle it."

"How can you just-"

"BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE TIME TO LOSE MY SHIT!"

...Was this really Iori right now? Kyo was starting to believe this was an alternate reality, where Iori actually was... responsible. This was wrong... so wrong... and it made Kyo feel even more confused about everything. Iori Yagami was the shining model of not having a care in the world. All Kyo wanted was to be like that... but now, the shoe was on the other foot.

"...This is screwed up." Kyo finally said. "Why? Why does this have to be our problem? Why can't we just run, and keep on going? Away from this Coliseum, away from King of Fighters, away from f***ing EVERYTHING! Tell me Yagami, aren't you tired of dealing with all this? Having to protect people, save the world from supernatural forces? Who put this on our f***ing shoulders?!"

Kyo received a warm reception for his bellyaching... a fist on top of his dome.

"Will you shut up? You're giving me a headache." Iori retorted. "Look, Kusanagi... don't try to be something you're not. You can put on your little emo boy act and try to run, run, run from all life's woes... but I'm telling you, it doesn't work that way. You, me, Chizuru, anybody else... we don't have to be chivalrous white knights. But we still have to answer the call. When the shit piles up, you can either start smelling it, or grab a shovel. Deep down, you f***ing know this. That's why you're carrying me on your back right now. Because you knew what you had to do, and you did it without hesitating."

Kyo clenched his fists in anger, his face scrunching up. Damn Iori... he was being the mature one. His stupid, oblivious rival was chastising him. And the worst part is... he was right.

The muscles in his face strained for only a few more seconds, before loosening into a dejected, tired, defeated face. With one long sigh, Kyo lamented:

"...I just wanted one tournament. One year, without some stupid shit messing it all up."

"Yeah? Well, better luck next time. Maybe the next 50 times. I dunno. Get the f*** over it and come back to reality. Life sucks, and we're the guys that have to be neck-deep in it, so just shut up and put me down already. I need to stop her."

Back at the Coliseum, things were going at a frantic pace. There wasn't a second to stop, think... or even breathe. There were about 700 problems right in front of them, and a very limited window of time to deal with it all before things went totally bonkers.

Geese was handling the public influence.

"ATTENTION EVERYONE! PLEASE DON'T BE ALARMED! THAT THING LAYING THERE IS NOT A HUMAN BEING! HE'S A FAKE! THAT RUGAL BERNSTEIN WAS CREATED IN A LABORATORY! EVERYBODY PLEASE REMAIN CALM, AND I PROMISE THE TRUTH WILL BE REVEALED!"

Chizuru was trying to handle Leona, while at the same time dealing with the television executives.

"...Look, just take some of the fighters and let them film commercials! I don't care! Just DO NOT restore the live feed! I mean it! The world doesn't need to see this right now! Okay? Okay. Good. Bye!"

As soon as Chizuru hung up, she yelped as Leona came snarling at her. She looked ready to pounce...

"Ah! D-dammit! Leona NO!"

Leona appeared to be readying a fatal strike... but her body froze up at the last second, as if her consciousness was at war with itself, light and dark, an angel and devil battling it out on her shoulders. Her aggression turned to confusion, followed by an agonizing yell as she fell to her knees and held her head in pain.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

"She's suffering, Chizuru! DO SOMETHING!" Whip wailed.

"...Cover me."

"Wha...?'

Whip looked ahead; Heidern was walking past her, approaching the combat zone, directly towards Leona. His face wore not one ounce of fear, his posture lacking in even a molecule of hesitation. With an eye as cold as Rugal's corpse, he approached his daughter with his hands behind his back.

"Leona. Enough. Stand at attention."

The girl's head swiveled as her predatory eyes met his, her fangs bared, blood and saliva dripping as she gave a beastly snarl.

"Grrgh.. ghaaagh... GRRRAGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Leona's hand glowed green as she straightened her fingers and charged at Heidern, preparing to spear him in the chest...

"LEONA! I SAID STAND AT ATTENTION!" Heidern's voice boomed with authority.

...But she kept coming.

"SIR! GET OUT OF THERE!" Ralf screamed.

Whip tried to unleash her weapon and coil it around Leona's torso, but the crazed girl smacked it aside effortlessly. Ralf tried to charge in and tackle her... but he was pushed aside with ease, so forcefully that his large frame actually went flying several yards.

Leona looked like she wasn't stopping. As her menacing appearance drew closer to Heidern, it looked clearer and clearer like she was about to run him through...

"STAY BEHIND ME!" Athena commanded as she teleported in front of Heidern and company, activating her Psycho Reflector in an attempt to stave off the relentless woman.

Everybody held their breath, their eyes closed with fear of impending death, as Leona closed in on them with a blood-curdling howl...

 **FWOOOSH!**

Leona was blown backwards, as a combination of orange and purple flames exploded at her feet. She tumbled for several yards before leaping back up with a snarl. Immediately her attention was turned to the source of that attack...

"Kyo! Iori!" Chizuru yelled, a slight hint of relief in her voice.

"Leona, I don't want to hurt you... but you better chill the f*** out or you're about to get it." Iori threatened, his hand extended with fire eerily leaning in her direction.

Leona wasn't intimidated by the threat; it only made her angrier as she took a step forward and howled, so powerful that saliva and blood particles flew and hit their faces.

"Nice. How articulate of you, Iori." Kyo teased.

"Shut up. I WILL push you in front of her before she gets to me."

Heidern, on the other hand, was NOT pleased with their intervention.

"No you idiots! She has to focus on me!"

Athena yelped as Heidern forcefully shoved her aside, approaching Leona while her back was turned. With a reluctant sigh... he fired a projectile at his own daughter.

That did the trick; Leona spun around and slashed the projectile to oblivion just as it was about to hit her. Her eyes focused on Heidern... and she charged.

"That's right... come closer..." Heidern muttered.

"What are you doing, Heidern! She'll kill you!" Kyo yelled.

"She won't."

...But it didn't look like Leona was stopping. She ran at full speed, hand drawn back, preparing to stab through her father...

"Dammit Heidern! Shit... I'm sorry girl..." Iori hissed.

Iori didn't hesitate. He curled his fingers and charged at Leona, lunging deep. It became a race, precious milliseconds at stake to determine who was going to die... and who was going to have remorseful blood on their hands for all eternity.

Surprisingly... the end result was a stalemate. Something triggered inside Leona: some minute snowflake of humanity still twinkling in the dark recesses of her marred, twisted psyche. Her fingers had rested less than a centimeter, the very threshold of Heidern's chest, as her body froze up.

At that same exact moment, Iori miraculously sensed that Leona was going to stop. He too, was currently suspended in place... his lethal fingers grazing Leona's neck, just enough that a tiny trickle of blood oozed down from two small incisions.

The next few seconds happened so quickly. Leona slumped to her knees, clutching her head, her body wriggling, writhing, a bloody battle being fought deep within herself. That tiny grain of rational thought still remaining was growing, nurtured by the sight of her father standing in front of her.

"That's it, sweetie. Keep looking... keep looking..." Heidern soothed.

Her arms fell limp. Her forehead rested against the ground, her body shuddering frantically for a second... before going still. From there on, it only elevated and loosened rhythmically as her breathing leveled out. Her hair began to change in pigment, back to its natural blue... and within a minute, she was Leona Heidern once again.

Chizuru ran over to the body, leaning down to check her pulse. A few dramatic seconds ticked by before Chizuru looked up... and gave a hopeful nod.

"Heidern, get her out of here. Yours needs to be the first face she sees when she wakes up."

"Of course." Heidern responded. He approached Leona's unconscious body, scooping her up in his arms. He began to walk away from the Coliseum, Ralf and Whip in tow.

And for a moment... everyone just took a huge breath. The Coliseum had gone silent. The audience was in utter shock, having witnessed a mind-blowing chain of events firsthand. But finally... things were calming down now. Rugal was dead. Leona was back to normal. Perhaps now, the tournament could finally continue...

Chizuru massaged her head for a few seconds, before turning to her sacred colleagues.

"Um, listen, could you guys dispose of...?"

Her eyes subtly darted to the corpse of Rugal; Kyo and Iori got the message.

"We're on it. Cmon, dumbass." Iori elbowed Kyo gently, urging him to follow.

"Right behind you..." Kyo sighed. At this point, he had finally stopped bitching and accepted his role in the universe: he was the guy who had to do the dirty work, because he was born with a little more power and a little more fate than the normal man. Kyo and Iori had no choice in the matter... because they were who they were.

As the flame-wielders dragged Rugal's body off to give it a proper cremation, Chizuru turned to Geese.

"You wanna take charge here?"

Geese responded with a dismissing air swat. "You go ahead. I need to go prepare for my fight."

Chizuru nodded as Geese walked away. Taking a deep breath, she turned and addressed whatever personnel she had on hand.

"Alright, get this blood cleaned up! Restore the live feed! And for god's sake, let's get someone normal in the arena! Uh... JOE! GET JOE!"

 **ROUND 3 FIGHT #2: JOE HIGASHI VS HANZO HATTORI**

After a quick, super-rushed tidying of the combat zone, Joe Higashi was shoved into the arena regardless of how prepared he was. This spelled disaster for the Muay Thai fighter, who was in obviously worse shape than the other 18 contestants. If anyone needed to fight last, it was him.

His opponent didn't help matters much either. Hanzo had proven to be a formidable ninja, having defeated both Eiji Kisaragi and even Mai Shiranui herself. It was a very real possibility that he was indeed the great ninja lord of legend...

"Whew... alright. This isn't how I expected things to go..." Joe fretted. His face wore a worried expression, but a few slaps on his cheeks toughened him up.

"...But I'm gonna prove I'm NOT A JOBBER!" he finished. "Andy's out, meaning it's just me and Terry! I'm not gonna play second banana to the Bogards anymore! This is my moment for glory!"

Hanzo just stood there with his arms folded, seemingly uninterested in Joe's declaration. A few seconds passed before he got into stance, not sharing any words of his own.

 **FIGHT!**

Joe came out incredibly aggressive; a flying knee struck Hanzo in the chest area, which the ninja managed to absorb with his forearms mostly. As Joe had feinted with the right knee and attacked with the left, he was able to immediately throw out a right leg kick as soon as his feet touched the ground again. This one struck Hanzo solid, powerful enough to buckle his knee for a moment.

The ninja seemed bothered by it, as he backflipped rapidly to create distance and resorted to long-range tactics.

"Rekkozan! Rekkozan! REKKOZAN!"

Three shuriken flew at Joe in quick succession, fast enough that not a single one had managed to hit him yet before all three had been launched. But Joe only smiled; he wasn't the least bit worried.

"HURRICANE UPPER!"

His whirlwind easily blew through the projectiles, prompting Hanzo to quickly cartwheel to the left or suffer a gusty fate. Joe took advantage and brought the fight back to his preferred range: up close and gritty.

Joe went to the body, leading with his shin and coming across Hanzo's ribs from the right side. Hanzo winced as his body took it full force, freezing him on the spot as his muscles tensed up in an attempt to stifle the pain. Joe mixed up his strikes well, following up with punches; a hard left was just barely blocked by Hanzo's hand, but a right followed behind it. For the second one, Joe didn't lead with his fist; he bent his arm upon propulsion and allowed his elbow to be the deliverer of pain.

Unprepared to block an angled elbow, Hanzo's temple took it clean and his head was knocked sideways. He wobbled a bit, but stayed on his feet.

"PIECE HIM UP, JOE!" Andy screeched. But his face quickly twisted in pain a second later, as if a powerful vocal output was putting strain on his wounds.

"Andy baby, don't exert yourself." Mai soothed, gently massaging his afflicted areas. She pressed her head lovingly against his chest while she did this, as if her affection was all the medicine her man needed.

Playtime was officially over for Hanzo; as soon as Joe tried a front kick to the body, he sprang into action. Leaping into the air, he planted his right foot in Joe's stomach, then did a mid-air backflip that allowed his left foot to soar upwards and catch him right across his chin. Joe was knocked on his butt, while the amazed crowd got to witness Hanzo's ninja agility as he stuck the landing of that backflip perfectly.

Joe rose back to his feet... but he was abruptly given another taste of Hanzo's high-flying ninja acrobatics. This time, the blue-clad ninja had leaped into the air and raised his foot high above his head. His heel came crashing down, giving Joe's cranium a blow so fierce it could only be prepared to a coconut splitting down the middle.

Joe's legs stayed upright for only a second... before they turned to wet noodles.

"Holy shit, Joe took a bad one..." Terry cursed, shutting his eyes with disappointment.

"Don't worry, he's taken worse ones to the head than that." Mary reassured. "Look, he's getting back up."

Joe was indeed back up... but he was desperate. He barreled forward, seizing the back of Hanzo's neck and putting him in the Plum Clinch as quickly as possible. He was using an abnormal output of strength, eager to hold Hanzo still and stifle his offense while Joe's head was clearing. It would drain his muscles quicker, but for the sake of staying in this fight, Joe had no choice.

They danced around in circles for a while, Joe controlling Hanzo via his hands interlaced around the back of the neck. Joe fired a knee to his body when he could, but for the most part, this was an attempt to recover from that vicious hit Hanzo had given him.

Unfortunately... Hanzo had no intention of staying like this. The crafty ninja pulled guard, flopping to the ground with Joe collapsing on top of him. Although this allowed Joe the top position... Joe was no ground guy. He wanted to be on the feet as much as possible. Therefore, this was just as uncomfortable for Joe as it was Hanzo.

A brief struggle ensued on the ground, as the two wrestled in an attempt to get back up. Hanzo was seemingly the more knowledgeable one in this department, as he brought an arm up to pry Joe's head loose, then used one leg to kick Joe's foot free. The other leg was brought up, knee pressing on his stomach, allowing Hanzo all the leverage he needed to push Joe off of him and spring back to his feet a second later.

The two got back up, and Joe demonstrated just how rattled his head still was. He lunged in with a sloppy spinning elbow, which looked more like stumbling around after having one too many of King's dirty martinis.

Hanzo easily sidestepped the attack and stomped the back of Joe's knee, bringing him down. He locked his arms around Joe's neck from behind, seizing him in a rear-naked choke.

...But this wasn't used for submission. Hanzo had more painful plans in mind. Maintaining one arm around Joe's neck to hold him there. Hanzo raised his other arm and began raining sharp vertical elbows on Joe's diaphragm. Joe was immediately in a world of pain, as he was receiving internal torture but was unable to prevent it from his current predicament. When one takes a blow to the body, it's pure bliss for the body to instinctively turtle up and try to ease it off. But in Hanzo's grasp... Joe didn't have this luxury.

"Jesus, he's mauling Joe. At this rate, he'll stop breathing!" Mai squealed.

"Cmon man, ease up on him! He's already hurt!" Terry growled.

Thankfully, Hanzo was a ninja of honor; he only delivered about seven or eight elbows to Joe's body before letting go and letting Higashi plop to the ground. Joe was finally allowed that sweet release, tightening his body up and curling in a fetal position to stop the flaring up.

"We're done here. Good fight." Hanzo bowed.

He started to walk away... and a stupidly persistent voice stopped him.

"HOLD IT! Don't count your kunai before you... uhh... throw em!"

Hanzo turned back around, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

Joe grinned as he willed his aching body back up. "Huff... huff... heh heh... I tried to think... of one... that related to you... ninja boy."

Hanzo's face turned stern. "You should quit. I don't wish to harm you any further."

"Oh yeah? Well, my spiky hair's sexier than yours."

Against better judgement, Joe ran at Hanzo and threw a mean right cross. Hanzo ducked it and Joe stumbled forward a bit, but he gathered himself and spun around with a dangerous reverse kick.

"Still so much power...?!" Hanzo grunted as he leaped out of the way. Had that kick connected, his insides would've been shaken up like a waterbed.

Joe carried his whole body in motion with his left leg as it struck hard against Hanzo's body. The ninja turtled up to absorb it, and Joe's foot rested back on the ground. But he once again threw that SAME leg, going low to Hanzo's knee instead. Hanzo partially checked this one, still feeling the pain greatly since it was the same leg hit at the beginning of the fight.

Joe was still fast. He was still aggressive. He was still dangerous. He was still determined to rise up and make a new legacy, emerging from the Bogards' shadow.

Hanzo was still close range; Joe seized him in the Plum Clinch and battered his stomach with knees. Left, right, left, he alternated knees and pounded Hanzo's body in rhythm. As Hanzo tried to push away, face exposed, Joe threw some short range elbows to punish him for it.

Hanzo stumbled away, into Joe's range... and Joe dropped him with a left hook.

"HE'S DOWN! FINISH HIM JOE!" Terry leaped to his feet so quickly, he knocked the soda out of Mary's hands.

Joe's body tingled with excitement. He was the man. He was the scrappy underdog. He was the people's champion. Twice he had been brutalized by his opponent. Twice he came back and snatched victory. THIS WAS NUMBER THREE!

Hanzo got back up, and Joe pulverized his stomach with a clean right. Hanzo hunched over... but the ninja snatched Joe's arm before he could pull it away to safety.

The blue ninja gave the audience another shocking and perhaps disappointing display of his endless agility. He vaulted upwards like an Olympic gymnast, until his hand rested on top of Joe's head and he was doing a perfect handstand atop the Muay Thai fighter.

All at once, he allowed his complete body weight to collapse on top of Joe's head in the form of an elbow drop. Joe hit the ground like a tower of falling blocks, Hanzo crash-landing on top of him.

As Hanzo rolled to safety, Joe got up one last time... and the audience gave a collective groan as they knew his number was up. His eyes weren't even there; they were looking forward... but saw little. He was essentially knocked out on his feet. All Hanzo had to do was send him back to the ground.

...And that he did.

"NIN POU RIN KYAKU!"

Hanzo gave the audience one last display of his skills... with his most violent attack yet. Drawing his ninja blades from their scabbards, his body levitated in mid-air as he went spread eagle. He turned sideways, as he begun to spin like an axle. Faster... faster... until he was indiscernible as a human being. He was a human shuriken: a spinning wheel of death.

The audience and fighters gasped with terror as the razor-sharp frisbee known as Hanzo tore through Joe, felling him instantly. Hanzo's body slowed down upon realizing his hit was clean, and he landed on his feet. Turning his back to Joe, he sheathed his weapons and struck a classic, cliche ninjitsu pose.

 **WINNER: HANZO HATTORI**

"JOEEEE! YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED JOE, YOU BASTARD!" Terry wailed, crushing his hat and angrily slamming it down.

"...I didn't kill him. I struck him with the blunt end of my swords." Hanzo corrected.

"...Oh. Uh... well then... thanks?"

"You're welcome. Goodbye."

With a bow of respect, Hanzo leaped out of sight. The mysterious ninja had just cashed his ticket to the quarterfinals.

 **MEANWHILE...**

"Master... the Rugal clone is dead."

 _"You let them take it?"_

"Forgive me, master. There was nothing I could do!"

 _"What a shame. He was your best work, after all. Did he succeed in killing any of them?"_

"N-no... one was critically wounded, but he still clings to life. Some others were badly hurt. But some blue haired girl... she went ballistic and ripped him apart!"

 _"Hmmm... sounds like the Riot. Hah. Such a wondrous power, yet always so out of reach and too dangerous to reach for. Whatever. It doesn't matter to me."_

"What shall I do now, master?"

 _"Come back to HQ for now. Run the final specs on all our prototypes. We'll have a little surprise for them tonight."_

"Yes master."

 _"And make sure you're not followed! Don't forget, your life can be ended no matter where you walk."_

"Y-yes... master."

 **Whew. Back to it! Feels good to get this one out. I feel really great about this chapter. Hope you enoyed it.**

 **Next chapter: We finally get back to good ol' tourney fights. Only eight fights remain. Stay tuned to see which 10 fighters advance to the quarterfinals!**


	27. Chapter 27: Round 3, pt 3

**I just want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your continued support. This story has broken my record for most reviews, and soon I will break my record for most chapters (currently 35, held by an old Tekken fic). I couldn't have done this without you guys to inspire me and keep me going. It's more than I deserve. Thank you, and I love you all.**

 **Author's Pick: #3. Although they're all very amusing in their own special way lol. Enjoy.**

"How's it going down there?"

"It's going."

"Dude, get with it! I'm halfway to his waist, and you're still on the feet!"

"My flames aren't as hot as yours. Piss off."

The two flame-wielders shared some typical banter during their clean-up job, until things fell silent for a while. The only sound shared between them was their shallow breathing, which was drowned out by the crackle of fire roasting Rugal's corpse to ash. They tried to soften their breathing... but it was no use. The smell of burnt flesh wafted in their nostrils, their stomachs queasy and encouraging them to hasten their efforts.

Iori was the first one to break the silence again; perhaps an attempt to take their minds off of this dirty work.

"So what, you good now?"

Kyo didn't look over. "What?"

"You know... you over your demons?"

"I dunno... I guess I've come to realize that sometimes I don't have a choice. But sometimes, I DO have a choice. And when that moment comes, I'm not just gonna say yessiree like some eager boy scout. I'm not the world's savior anymore."

"Yeah... well none of us are. We're just a bunch of stupid humans that have to come together when shit gets rough, then we can go back to hating each other. So don't go thinking you're anymore special than me, Chizuru, or the screaming kids waiting for their cotton candy at the damn concession stand."

"Relax, Yagami. I assure you, I don't intend to tread on you and your lovely ego."

"Thanks. Now, you wanna hurry this up alre-"

 **FWOOOOOOOOOSH!**

They never saw it coming. The force was so abrupt, so intense... they were blown backwards onto their backsides. They didn't even hear it when it happened; their ears had already started ringing. All they saw was a bright green flash... and in an instant, the corpse of Rugal was gone. Nothing remained, not even the ash; just a large burnt spot where his body once lay.

Both unharmed, they angrily shot upwards and spun around to meet the smirking face of Ash Crimson. He was twirling a lock of his hair between his thumb and forefinger... and as usual, his cocky smile was insufferable.

Without giving them a chance to air a complaint, Ash wrinkled his nose at them and spun around, strutting away.

The two of them turned back around, looking at the ground, where his sudden attack had reduced Rugal's corpse to nothing.

"How did he...?" Kyo mumbled aloud, a rhetorical question reflecting his shock.

Iori was much less surprised, than annoyed. "I swear I'm gonna kill that kid."

 **ROUND 3 FIGHT #3: DUO LON VS YUKI**

Yuki knew he was incredibly outmatched; being the most gifted fighter in the Hizoku, Duo Lon had all the advantages of speed, agility, technique, and martial arts knowledge. He could also decompose his body at any given moment and form a new, healthy one. Duo Lon was an almost perfect fighting machine.

...But Yuki did have one thing: technology. He had state-of-the-art equipment and augmentations, as opposed to Duo's old, traditional values. Yuki was the future. If he was going to win this, he had to prove that.

 **FIGHT!**

Yuki moved into boxing range, fists high, and tried to establish a jab. He pumped it out constantly, his right hand aggressively in motion to gauge distance and keep his opponent at bay. But Duo's movements were so distracting; he was like a shadow, a dark blur, mesmerizing in his flowing garb and swinging hair. Yuki couldn't find him, his movements too elusive.

Duo woke him up with a low kick, striking his left knee. But Duo gracefully leaped up with a second kick behind it, this one going high and plowing into Yuki's chest. The blonde grunted as he took a step back; his fists glowed blue as he retaliated with a furious combination, going body to head in an attempt to match Duo's initiation with an equal response.

Yuki only accomplished striking air; his whiff was met with a counter palm to his chin, followed by outstretched fingers jamming into his ribs.

"Ngh, shiiit...!" Yuki hissed as he backpedaled... but not even distance could stop Duo. The Hizoku assassin extended his fingers once again... and his arm reached out as if not bound by the laws of anatomy.

Yuki felt a jarring pain in his throat, as Duo's arm had stretched all the way across their gap and struck him dead in the windpipe. He fell to his knees, not so much out of pain or impact, but out of shock of his breathing so abruptly disrupted. Thankfully there were no long-term effects; a few hacks and coughs later, Yuki was back up and healthy.

Yuki circled around Duo steadily, inching closer and closer with each rotation; Duo kept his hands high, preparing to parry whatever offense Yuki threw.

The agent started by pumping out a jab; it didn't reach Duo's head. He threw another jab, closer but still just out of reach. That second jab was a precursor to Yuki's aggression unleashing, lunging with a deep uppercut, a blue trail of energy flowing behind his fist as it attempted to catch Duo's chin.

The elusive Hizoku assassin swayed his head to dodge it; Yuki was punished a second later with a sharp kick to the body, stunning him stiff. Duo pressed the attack, never one to throw just one strike; a palm to Yuki's stomach followed, then an upwards palm to his nose. As Yuki stumbled backwards in pain, Duo thrust his foot into the Earth and sprouted it upwards underneath Yuki, nailing him in the stomach so hard the agent crashed facefirst.

Yuki angrily lifted himself up with his fists; a combined blast from both wrist guns launched his body back upwards, the agent doing an impressive somersault and closing distance on Duo in a flash.

Duo was actually caught off guard with this one; he had to stumble just to avoid the next energy-fueled haymaker Yuki threw at him. He was on the retreat now; Yuki was pressing forward, fists in aggressive motion, swinging at Duo constantly to try and nail a clean hit.

But Duo was never in a panic; landing on one foot, he swiftly spun around and his long brown hair slapped Yuki in the face, jarring him enough to stop his attack.

"Ngah!" Yuki yelped.

Duo was leading the dance once again; he phase-shifted forward and thrust a knee into Yuki's stomach, freezing him for a second free hit. Duo took a step back to create enough distance, then unleashed a huge spinning kick into Yuki's midsection that sent the agent flying backwards.

Before Yuki could hit the ground, the agent aimed his wrist guns behind him and fired off a simultaneous blast; the opposing force stopped his uncontrollable backwards motion and allowed him to recover quicker.

A second blast from his wrist guns sent Yuki soaring towards Duo now: a second wind brewing in the agent. He was definitely hurting; Duo wasn't the biggest or strongest, but he hit Yuki enough times to make him feel the pain. That pain was just making Yuki angry, giving him newfound strength...

Yuki planted his feet in front of Duo and started putting it on him. A left hand whizzed just past Duo's ear, not hitting... but enough to make him sweat. Yuki threw a right to the body, which Duo lifted his knee high to absorb, and a left hand came afterwards that connected on Duo's shoulder and stumbled him backwards. At least Yuki wasn't missing anymore.

Yuki didn't retreat. He pressed forward, clashing his fists together and creating huge blue sparks as they glowed with immense energy. Whatever got hit by those bad boys would hurt greatly...

Duo swung his right leg in a backhanded arc, striking Yuki across the chin and opening up his lip. Duo doubled up with a left roundhouse; Yuki brought his fist up and a forcefield generated that knocked Duo backwards. He skidded a few feet, but remained upright.

"Here I COME!" Yuki screeched as he fired his wrist gun behind him, shooting him forwards with his other fist extended like a superhero. His entire body coursed with blue energy, a testament to the power his watches were producing.

Duo maintained a stone expression as he went airborne, just managing to avoid Yuki's fist as the agent zoomed past him. Yuki would have kept going in that direction, had he not aimed his wrist guns at his own feet and fired to stop his momentum.

Yuki charged forward and threw a huge overhand left; Duo swayed it and caught Yuki in the face with a counter left. He followed up with a kick to Yuki's knee, then doubled up with a second kick that connected clean on Yuki's face.

This one finally brought Yuki down, as he took it full force and tasted Duo's leather. As Yuki hit the ground with a sharp grunt, Duo held his graceful pose: one leg on the ground, one foot raised in the air with perfect balance.

Spitting blood, Yuki got up much slower and wearier than before. The audience could tell he was starting to gas; his arms were dropping, his legs a little shaky. His mouth was wide open, taking deep breaths. Duo had hit him one time too many, and his body was feeling the fatigue of getting knocked around.

And Duo... he was the picture of perfect health. His face remained ever-static, not even a labored breath from his lips. His gameplan had been executed perfectly; avoiding Yuki's power punches, countering him with fluid strikes that didn't require huge exertion, and allowing him to stay fresh while Yuki suffered.

"This fight's in the bag. Duo doesn't even look tired." Shen Woo said aloud. The only person sitting with him was Oswald, so the latter nodded to acknowledge he received that exclusive message.

Yuki stumbled over to Duo... and Duo showed no mercy. A fierce palm collided with Yuki's nose, bouncing him like a bobblehead. A mid kick followed, shin drilling into Yuki's stomach and evaporating his breath.

Duo watched with satisfaction as Yuki started to go down... but the agent had other plans.

"Hngh?!"

Duo looked down as Yuki dived at his midsection and locked his arms around his waist. The next thing Duo knew, he was being lifted off his feet... no longer in command of his own body.

"YAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Yuki screamed as the adrenaline unleashed all at once, all the pain and anger exploding in his muscles as he lifted Duo over his head effortlessly and took him on the most unpleasant ride of his life.

"FIRE SUPLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEX!"

The thud was tremendous, the echo of Duo's body being slammed backwards against the ground producing a tremor so grand it sent a tingle to all the feet in the stands. Anyone and everyone could FEEL the vibrations of that great slam... and know it was critical.

Yuki recovered quickly, scrambling to his feet in case Duo got back up. But once he looked at the Hizoku assassin: curled up on the ground, wincing in pain as he clutched his neck... Yuki knew his opponent was done.

"Agh! Arrrgh...!" Duo growled in agony as he tried to massage the afflicted area. When Yuki suplexed him, he landed awkwardly on his head and his neck bent at an uncomfortable angle. The slam itself wasn't even that bad... he just couldn't move his head right now, as his neck was absolutely strained.

"You okay?" Yuki asked, taking a knee to show sportsmanship.

"Grr... nghh... I landed badly. I can't move anything from the shoulders up." Duo hissed. "I COULD rid myself of this body and make a new one..."

"...But you know I'd knock you out before you get the chance." Yuki grinned.

"Indeed." Duo winced. "Which means you've got me in checkmate."

"Yes sir I have." Yuki beamed with pride, knowing his victory was just certified.

 **WINNER: YUKI**

"Go ahead and fix yourself. Nice fight, my friend." Yuki said, giving a respectful bow.

"Yes. You fought well." Duo replied. "My defeat was fair."

Yuki walked away, allowing Duo to once again commit the sickening ritual of breaking his body down to nothing, and rebuilding it. Within half a minute, he was perfectly healthy again. Unfortunately, he couldn't get back to the fight; Yuki was already declared the winner.

"YUKI! YOU MADE THE FINAL 10! EEEEEEEEEEEK!" Ai squealed as she leaped up and down, her NeoGeo Pocket flailing so hard it nearly left her neck.

"I know, I know. Haha, calm down Ai." Yuki laughed. He grabbed her and pulled her tight, if for no other reason than to stop her dizzying bouncing.

"We have to celebrate! Hmmm... are you thinking what I'm thinking~?"

"Uhhhh... well, depends on what you want to play. I'm not playing Art of Fighting with you, period."

"W-well... I was talking about sex, teeheehee~"

"O-oh..."

"B-but we can play Samurai Shodown!"

"...Only if you let me be Galford."

The secret agent, savior of Japan, destroyer of the evil corporation WAREZ... was now the second man to secure his spot in the quarterfinals.

 **ROUND 3 FIGHT #4: IORI YAGAMI VS RYUJI YAMAZAKI**

"You're a dead man, Ryuji."

Yamazaki seemed only delighted by Iori's threatening presence, laughing as the red-haired man drew closer.

"Hehehehehe! Cmon now, what's the beef? I already told you I don't care about the Hakkesshu."

Iori snarled. "I just don't like you. I don't like how you're so indifferent to that damned curse inside you."

Yamazaki stuck his tongue out. "Heh! You're just jealous because you and that girl can't have as much fun with it as I do. It feels so warm inside me, his voice soothing like a lullaby... hehehehe...hahahahahahaha! You and those other losers are too weak to truly enjoy it!"

"That's it. I'm kicking your ass."

 **FIGHT!**

Iori unleashed a fury like no one ever witnessed. His fists blazed purple as he rushed Yamazaki, not one to play into his games and intimidation. He let loose on the psychopath with wide, looping strikes, the heat close enough to sting Yamazaki's face despite him dodging them all.

Yamazaki moved his head well, avoiding the punches, but he was feeling the pressure already. He felt himself involuntarily drawing his right hand... no! Not yet...

"Raaah!" Iori growled as he lunged and threw a deep overhand left. His fist grazed Yamazaki's cheek, his unholy flaming aura stinging his flesh with a violent kiss.

The pain threw Yamazaki off; he took a bad step backwards, and Iori was wise to go low and strike him below the knee with a powerful kick. Yamazaki's leg gave out, and he hit the ground.

"Shhhiiiit!"

Down but not out, Yamazaki barrel rolled backwards and leaped back up... only to be the recipient of Iori's unstoppable pressure. He felt his stomach cave in as Iori's fist buried into it... then half darkness as his eye was smashed into by a clean power punch.

He skidded a few feet before attempting to stand up... but he stumbled a few times and fell back down. Already, half of his face was swollen shut, his breathing still irregular from the atrocious blow he took to the midsection. His leg was hard to stand on... Iori had messed him up with so few strikes and so little time.

That's it. Right hand time.

Yamazaki growled as he leaped up and unleashed the blinding, invisible speed of his snake arm. Surely this would catch him...? It had caught so many in the past, unable to sense the impossible speed coming their way.

...But Iori did see it coming. He knew every trick Yamazaki had in his twisted mind. Iori was too amped up, and too pissed off to fall for it.

"AUUUUGH! DAMN YOU!" Yamazaki cursed Iori's name as his arm flew forward... and met only the searing pain of a thousand suns. It radiated from Iori's body in all directions: an inferno that scorned, persecuted all who dared lay their hand upon it. Yamazaki dipped his hand wrist-deep into the lake of Hell itself.

Distracted by the pain of his utterly scorched hand, Yamazaki was helpless as a concentrated volley of fire blasted him off his feet. The burn wasn't the worst part; it was the explosion. Like a chemical nightmare, hitting his body-point blank with the force of a live grenade. All at once, he felt his body go numb, his ears ringing, seeing white spots and colorful flashes in his dazed eyes...

Yamazaki learned very quickly that Iori Yagami was beyond any mind games. He couldn't be intimidated, provoked, scared, encouraged... because he was just him. In many ways, Iori was the perfect weapon: a mindless, unstoppable, advancing force that destroyed all in his path. He was rage: pure, 100%, unbridled, all-natural fury that only knew how to move forward and never stop. For such an opponent... how could one prepare?

Yamazaki groaned weakly as he struggled up to his feet... and a fist to his cheek sent him right back down. He got up once again, tasting blood... a second fist knocked him back on his ass. He got up a third time... and Iori was done with this shit.

Iori allowed himself a lusftul smile as he snatched Yamazaki up by the shirt and activated his fire power. It began to course all around them, creeping up Ryuji's skin, painting him purple with it's malevolent, parasitic punishment.

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Yamazaki howled as his body flailed helpessly, his skin screaming with pain, nerves crying, begging to be spared from the touch of Satan himself.

Iori held it for only a few extra seconds: just a little gift for Yamazaki's smart mouth. And finally, he granted the psychopath mercy and let him fall to the ground.

 **WINNER: IORI YAGAMI**

As he looked at the charred body of Yamazaki, his clothing singed to uselessness, the grin gone from his face... Iori had to admit he felt better. It was a long morning... but he could make it through now. Things were finally back to normal. He got to yell at Kyo. He got to kick someone's ass who very much deserved it. He didn't have to kill a girl he liked. Yeah... this day was turning around alright.

"I'm outta here." Iori casually dismissed himself, hands in his pockets.

As Chizuru approached Yamazaki's body, her face couldn't remain composed. The psychopath was otherwise okay... he just looked like burnt toast and smelled very unsettling. He was also rolling around, groaning in agony. It was a rather pitiful sight for the man who tooled both of his opponents up to this point.

Whipping out her cell phone, Chizuru made a call to the hospital.

"...Hey. It's Chizuru. You're gonna need a lot of my Anti-Iori Burn Ointment."

 **ROUND 3 FIGHT #5: BENIMARU NIKAIDO VS DIO**

Benimaru was the next to attempt to solve the elaborate puzzle that was Dio. Admittedly, the blonde had no idea what he was walking into. Maybe he was distracted, maybe he'd been too busy admiring himself in the mirror... but Benimaru was blissfully ignorant of just what Dio was capable of. He had SEEN Dio... but maybe he hadn't actually paid that much attention.

Regardless, this was Benimaru's moment of glory. He had outlasted Daimon, at least, which was the first step in his path of glory. Nothing against Daimon... but he wasn't the one Benimaru was here to surpass. No... he wanted the BIG BOYS. He wanted to stand above the flame guys: K', Ash, Kyo, Iori... the ones he'd been forced to play second banana to time and time again. Not this time; the days of Benimaru the Boy Wonder were OVER.

"You're in my way, blue man." Benimaru taunted, rubbing his hair all over and striking a pose that just screamed flamboyance.

"Come, human. Try to stand against me. Struggle and fall like the rest." Dio commanded, getting into stance.

 **FIGHT!**

Benimaru lunged in with a high roundhouse... and at once he got a taste of Dio's power.

"WRYYYYYYYYY!"

Dio's unsettling howl echoed as he did a mid-air backflip, his feet colliding with Benimaru's chin and sending his luxurious hair into the dirt. Dio stuck the landing perfectly, recovering so quickly that it was like he'd never moved from that spot.

"Ungh... agh... okay... that was unexpected...ptew!" Benimaru spat out some dust as he struggled back to his feet. With a growl, he straightened his hair and got back into stance.

Beni tried again; he went high with a right roundhouse, fluidly transitioning into a left low kick. When those two failed to hit clean, he spun around and tore into Dio with a right kick to the stomach.

But even THEN Beni didn't stop; he came forward with a fourth piece to his combo. As his kick landed, he went airborne and slammed into Dio's face with a flying knee. The blue humanoid partially blocked this one, really only feeling the impact of Beni's body weight instead of the actual knee strike.

As Beni landed, he still didn't stop; he had the momentum. He was piecing Dio up. No retreat!

Benimaru whipped his knee upwards with such speed, it was a mere blur; it was his patented Iaido Kick, so swift and accurate that very few could block it. Dio took it full force to his chest, actually forced to take a step back from the impact.

With a confident smirk, Benimaru tried to close distance with short elbows... but Dio was done playing around. He merely wanted a taste of what Benimaru had to offer... and he wasn't impressed.

As Beni tried to close in, he was met with a vicious uppercut that sent his eyes shooting upwards. He didn't even realize what had happened; all of a sudden he was looking at the sky. Was he even still standing?!

That question was answered when he received a brutal shin to his stomach a second later. Before he even had time to fold over, a short elbow crashed into Benimaru's face and sent him backwards.

"GET OUT OF THERE, BENI!" Goro cried. The Judoka had recovered well from his knockout.

Despite being wobbly, Benimaru stubbornly tried to continue his offense. He fired off a leg kick that landed clean... but Dio's foundation didn't even budge. Beni himself actually felt the most pain of that kick, and Dio didn't even check it! What the hell did he just kick?!

Dio planted his fist into Benimaru's stomach with an uppercut so mighty, Beni was literally lifted off his feet. The blonde got a few feet of air before his beautiful face was met with the unfortunate impact of the hard ground.

Dio just stood there, fist still extended. He wasn't having the least bit fun. Humans were starting to all feel the same: weak little playthings, offering no resistance. Surely there was at least one on this miserable planet...!

Despite his worn, battered body weighing him down, Benimaru sprang up and unleashed his greatest attack in the heat of his most passionate, desperate moment. This was his battle cry: his final lashing out against the cruel threads of fate.

"RAIKO KEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

His fist was enveloped in a bright, blue, majestic ball of electricity, impressive in size and stature compared to his normal one. Yes... this was his trump card. His ace in the hole. When all other moves had failed, his desperate attack had pulled him out of so many jams in the past. So many times, he had snatched victory at the last second whipping out this bad boy.

Dio took it full force, his body coursing with enough watts to make an electrician cringe. But something was wrong... VERY wrong...

He was just standing there.

"WH...WHA... WHAAA?!"

As Benimaru's fist continued to pump wattage into him, Dio was only shaking like a vibrating chair. His expression was unchanging. His posture wasn't the least bit shaken. This powerful electric attack seemed more like a prank buzzer to the blue humanoid, as he stood perfectly still and took it like it was a mere annoyance.

Little did Benimaru know... his attack had only fed Dio's own electrical might. Which he was about to experience firsthand.

Dio drew his head back and let it swing forward. All at once, his strange blue hair lashed out like electric eels, latching to Benimaru and frying him with his own medicine TENFOLD. Although it was his natural element, even Beni couldn't stand up to the insane amount of amps blasting him head to toe.

"GHHHHHHHHGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHH!"

Almost like an inmate facing execution... it only lasted a second. Dio retracted his hair, and Benimaru's only fate was to fall backwards. His beloved hair, which he cared so deeply for... well... he should be incredibly grateful to not have a mirror on hand.

 **WINNER: DIO**

"Hmph. Another pathetic human."

Those were Dio's only words as he departed, having cemented his spot in the final 10. For Benimaru, the pain of losing was far greater than the stinging of his burnt skin. Now, as many times before in the past... he was forced to take a backseat, while Kyo moved on to claim all the glory.

He allowed himself one selfish, malicious wish... to see them all fall to that same blue marvel of fighting. Only then, would he be able to save face.

 **Only five fights left. Only five spots left in the quarterfinals! Stay tuned as the remaining contestants fight tooth and nail to secure their spot, as the vacancies grow slimmer and slimmer!**


	28. Chapter 28: Round 3, pt 4

**Oh man... I went ham on this chapter loool. I dunno if this is my best work or not, but hopefully you enjoy it. THIS IS ROUND 3, BABY!**

 **Author's Pick: #6 or #7, but probably #7. And as usual, I can't do a decent Ash fight... sigh... sorry Heii.**

Iori let out a relaxed sigh upon exiting the bathroom, now clad in a white t-shirt and black boxers. He carefully applied a towel to his hair; his head still hurt from where Billy smacked him, so he had to be gentle in his movements. At least he didn't have to worry about bleeding anymore, thanks to his "personal doctoring". Chizuru was the one that nagged him into getting stitches, but Iori only kept them in for a day before removing them and searing his head wound closed instead. He was a lot more content this way: probably the pride of knowing he did it himself.

"Ahh... only nine more assholes to go. Just keep roasting them, Yagami... they keep trying to get in your way. They keep trying to stop you from smashing those two pricks in the finals. But they're not gonna. Nope. No sir. I don't care how long it takes to fight them. They're both going down."

Iori looked at himself in the mirror as he had this personal conversation. He didn't NEED motivation or validation... he was just bored and wanted to talk to himself. If nothing else, at least reminding himself of his mission was a way to pass the time. It was weird but... he actually didn't want to fight Kyo that badly. No... Ash was the one he wanted. That smirking, pompous little cream puff... always so cocky, always flaunting himself like he was prime rib to everyone else's ass quarters. He wanted to burn him... yes... melt that giddy little expression, along with the rest of his disgusting white hair.

...Or is is blonde hair? Ugh. That freak doesn't even have a real hair color. He needs to die. Seriously. Maybe Chizuru wouldn't even be angry if Iori killed him. She hates his fruity little guts too.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

...Who the hell was bothering him right now? The tournament was still going on. Even then, people knew better than to bother Iori anyway. They were just asking to have their dick hairs singed off...!

Iori put on a classic scowl as he stomped to the door and opened it... and once again, he had to correct his face when he realized who it was.

"Oh. It's you."

Leona looked like she too had just gotten out of the shower, although she hadn't even gotten as far as putting clothes on, it seemed. She was in a securely tied white bathrobe, and that was it. She was even barefoot. Her damp blue hair hung down freely, still looking in need of a few seconds of towel-work.

Iori scratched his head and continued. "Isn't your dad- uh I mean Heidern... isn't he keeping tabs on you or something? He's not gonna come after me is he?"

"I can't be around them right now. Or anybody else." Leona shook her head. "Not after what I did."

"Well, what the hell are you doing here then?"

"Except you. You're fine."

"...Right."

They both stood there in the doorway for a second, Iori not looking at her and vice versa, as Leona stood there and dripped water in the hallway. Thankfully it was carpet, so at least it was getting soaked up.

Finally, Leona opened up. "Look, I just don't want to be around anybody else right now. But I don't want to be alone either."

Iori raised an eyebrow. "Well, what makes me so special?"

"You know what!" Leona replied. "Now will you shut up and let me in already?"

"Fine. Weirdo." Iori sighed.

Iori stood aside and let her walk in, shutting the door behind them. He was little surprised when she crawled on his bed and got comfy; his annoyed emotions didn't register, even though she was getting his bed all wet.

Paying it no mind, Iori crashed on the bed next to her. They just laid there, feet kicked out... staring at a blank tv screen.

"Do you have any memory of what happened?" Iori started the inevitable conversation.

Leona shook her head. "Not a thing. I was hoping... you could tell me."

Iori ran a hand through his hair. "Well... you ripped Rugal apart. That's about it."

"I didn't... hurt anyone?"

"Nope."

"But I tried... didn't I?"

"Leona."

"Don't hide it from me!" Leona yelled.

Iori let out an annoyed groan. "Ughhh! Who gives a f*** what you tried and failed to do? You didn't hurt anybody and that's all that matters. Get over it! I told you I wasn't gonna let it happen, and I didn't. Problem solved. Move on."

"...You stopped me?"

Iori looked over; he had to quickly dart away when he saw Leona staring wide-eyed at him. He felt his face start to slightly warm up.

"W-well... yeah. I promised I would, didn't I? Don't tell me your memory has gone completely to shit."

...Nothing but silence after that. Iori still didn't even look in her direction. He tried to keep his face as far left as possible. Even if his neck went stiff, he was just gonna keep looking away... keep looking away...

Suddenly, he felt a weight press against his shoulder. A few seconds of it being there, and his t-shirt was soaked through to his skin. It was so cold... her locks hanging down low, wriggling against his bare arm, the skin where his shirt was riding up. He could help but hold back a shiver.

But even then... he didn't want to tell her to stop either.

"Can we watch tv?" she softly asked.

Iori's chest rose to the peak of inhalation... before he let his tension forcefully exit all at once.

"Y-yeah... Kumite?"

"I guess."

Iori reached over to grab the remote and flipped on the tv, the station already exactly where they expected it to be. Setting the remote down, Iori relaxed against the headboard and adjusted to the cool sensation of Leona's hair pressing against him.

As they lay there, watching the tournament broadcast live... Leona gently placed a hand on his chest and held it there.

 **ROUND 3 FIGHT #6: RYO SAKAZAKI VS K' DASH**

"Just you and me now, kid." Ryo declared, kicking off his geta and getting into stance. "And I hope you don't mind if I take this a little personally. You did take down my woman, after all."

K' kept his hands in his pockets, his eyes checking the great legend himself up and down. Ryo Sakazaki... perhaps this was K's greatest opponent yet. He had faced the likes of Krizalid, Zero, a self-proclaimed god in Igniz... but they all paled in comparison to this man. He was the original champion of King of Fighters. He went toe-to-toe with Geese when he was far younger and more powerful. Ryo Sakazaki was a living legend.

But K' knew he could take him. K' was just a little too fast. He was too skilled, too strong, too cool. This power was bestowed upon him... but K' made it his own. He was no puppet, no servant, no lapdog, no weapon to be utilized. He was HIM. He had ambition... and that's why he couldn't lose here. He claimed to not care, but it was just a facade; there was someone just ahead of him that he needed to fight.

"I respect you, Sakazaki... but you're in my way." K' declared. With those simple words, he got into stance.

 **FIGHT!**

The fight started as all fights with K' did: slow and calculating. As soon as Ryo got a glimpse of that cold face, those sharp, focused eyes... he was chilled to the bone. Or perhaps... it was a burn so hot it felt cold on the skin.

He felt hesitation in his movements. K' knew it too.

Ryo lunged forward, only to get a faceful of K' backhanded jab. His head snapped back, his feet instinctively retreating. The Kyokugen fighter shook his head a few times... and waited. He scanned K' up and down, examining his long, slender body and wiry frame. He was such a hard guy to get close to, in every sense of the word.

K' started getting a little animated. His feet smoothly, rhythmically shuffled back and forth, his body in constant motion, his hands up high, tight... but also loose.

Ryo fired a powerful low kick. Checked. K's body stayed in fluid rhythm, taking the kick easily and moving flawlessly with it.

"KYAAH!" Ryo spun around and went high with a wide reverse roundhouse. K' smoothly backpedaled, and Ryo's foot only succeeded in slapping his palm.

The blonde got aggressive. He went forward and low, throwing a wide sweep kick. His foot traced a perfect circle, whizzing just underneath K's left foot as the white-haired kid lifted his leg to avoid it. Ryo tried to follow up and go forth, but another crisp jab from K's long limb slammed into his face and sent him backwards.

Ryo was disoriented... and K' wasn't stopping. He had the superior reach. He started walking Ryo down, constantly pelting him in the face with his long, limber, slingshotting jabs. K' had such a quirky body type; he didn't have the appearance of muscle, and he didn't put much of any strength into his blows. But he fought with such a fluid technique, his body like water, when he whipped his long strikes outward... and they struck like a raging tide.

Ryo took another one flush, and he felt his eye close. His body moved on its own, against his better judgement, and he tried to counter with a high kick. K' threw a kick of his own, matching Ryo's leg mid-swing and cancelling out his attack.

Ryo cursed as his leg returned to him, and K' pushed the advantage, taking a deep step with his left leg and throwing a HUGE side kick with his right.

K's foot flew fast and true, plowing into Ryo's chest and sending the older man flying backwards onto his butt, his body able to remain upward for a second before the back of his head needed a pillow. Ryo was literally halfway across the arena from that one kick; that damn kid had some ridiculous legs!

K' seemed to be having a little fun with this one; the kid presented a grin as he gave a cheeky little flick of his nose. His body remained in motion, his feet alternating left and right underneath him. He was in the zone.

Ryo was angry now; placing his hands behind his head, he launched himself upwards with a huge, flashy spring kick. This time, there was only aggression; he charged at K' relentlessly, his hands already drawn back, summoning blue chi...

"HAOH KEN!"

Ryo launched a slow one, allowing it to methodically pace itself towards K' while the Kyokugen fighter readied a follow-up...

"Pah." K' scoffed as his right hand blazed with flame and he swatted Ryo's fireball away with a backhanded swipe.

...But this was what Ryo wanted. As K' reacted to his projectile, the Karate fighter sprang into action.

"HIEN SHIPPU KYAKU!"

Ryo launched forward like a missile, throwing a mid-air onslaught of chi-infused kicks that smashed into K's guard and sent the kid backwards. As pleased as Ryo was to actually connect, he wished he could have hit more than just K's forearms.

Ryo was back on both feet, and he pressed forward with a front kick to the body. K' blocked it, and Ryo went high with his fists to follow up with a 1-2.

K' stayed cool. His hands moved with uncanny speed as he parried Ryo's fists and fired back with a counter punch. Ryo took it full force... and his lights flickered.

K' saw his body retreat, and he pressed forward. A whipping kick to the body, doubling Ryo over. His face exposed, taking the full blunt of a short, chopping backfist, snapping his head back and sending his feet awry.

Ryo stumbled backwards, into the very peak of K's kicking range... and the next thing he knew, a foot crashed into his temple, his body crumbled, and he was looking up at the clouds.

"Ungh... ah... this kid's wearing me down..." Ryo cursed.

K' was still enjoying himself. He had a sly little smirk on his face as he boldly taunted:

"Heh. Beer bottles don't hit back."

Ryo had to lay on his back for a second to recover... but he knew the clock was ticking. He needed to get up NOW, or risk getting eliminated. Luckily, he was feeling nice and angry; he was Ryo Sazaaki, the face of Kyokugen Karate. He was NOT about to go out like this to some young punk!

Springing back up to his feet, Ryo took a strong stance, extended his hand outward... and beckoned.

"ORA ORA!"

K' got back into a serious stance. "With pleasure."

The kid led the dance this time, stepping in with a huge roundhouse to Ryo's head. The Karate master seized his limb moments before the impact, leaving K' with one leg to stand on. The blonde man initiated a perfect counterattack, tripping K's stationary foot and slinging him to the ground. But that's not all K' got off with... he also received a brutal punch to his downed body for his troubles.

"Nghh! The old bastard finally hit me..." K' hissed... between his grinning teeth.

Standing above him, Ryo raised his mighty forearm, preparing to bring it down on K' with the same force he once used to smash ice pillars. His arm did connect... but only with the ground, the blow so immense it literally cracked the Earth.

K' barrel rolled backwards and sprang to his feet. He had to admit... Ryo's power was a little scary. He could feel his loose form tightening up, his nerves a little sharper now after taking a blow from the man.

Ryo closed distance on him, and K' popped him on the chin with a short jumping knee. Ryo was stunned only for a second, still enough time to grab K' and throw him before he got away.

K' was sent airborne by Ryo's classic throw, and he was unable to land gracefully, crashing on his back. He was jarred, but he scrambled to his feet just in time to receive a front kick to the face. Ryo was finding his momentum now...

Ryo launched a Haoh Ken... but this one was optimized for short range, compared to his classic ones. This one was a tighter, more concentrated blast of orange chi, spreading outwards a small distance and knocking K' to the ground.

"Damn...!" K' grunted.

K' sprang back up... and Ryo still didn't let him off the hook. The Karate man went airborne and descended upon K's dome... with the mighty Karate chop feared by ice pillars everywhere.

"Shit...!" K' fell to one knee as his equilibrium was scrambled. He tried to stand back up straight and throw a punch, but Ryo parried it and countered with a perfect straight left that clocked him in the nose and sent him backwards. He tried to get away, but he was still too close and Ryo was able to connect on his side with a teep kick.

"He's doing it... he's beating K'!" Robert exclaimed.

"GO RYO! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!" Yuri cheered.

"DON'T SLIP UP, BOY!" Takuma commanded.

"Agh... I'm rooting for you too, but it hurts to yell." King uttered weakly.

To finally keep Ryo at bay, K' swung his gloved hand and produced a mid-air blaze, which stood dormant and awaited his command. Spinning around to gather momentum, K's foot whizzed through the flame and created a huge horizontal trail of fire in front of him. The attack wasn't so much for offense... it was to keep Ryo from approaching him, much like the effect of swinging a torch to keep predators away. It succeeded, as Ryo backpedaled and, in turn, allowed K' the distance he wanted as well.

"Alright... you hit me a few times, but that's all you're gonna get!" K' declared.

Ryo came in a little too zealous, and K' slammed the full force of his shin into the Karate man's stomach. This one stopped Ryo solid, and K' wasted no time punishing his hurt opponent. Leaning in close, extending his fingers to Ryo's solar plexus... he thrust his knuckles forward... and Ryo was the second man to receive the phenomenon known as the One Inch Punch. A strike so absurd, so totally ridiculous by the laws of physics... but it felt just like a heavyweight boxer throwing a body punch. It was the real thing.

Having taken two body blows back to back, Ryo was on shaky legs. K' sensed it too, as he started closing distance with long, looping punches. A few of them managed to bounce off Ryo's forearms... but the rest were finding his face clean.

"Shit... Ryo..." Robert cursed.

In a desperate move, Ryo tried to clinch with K', but the younger man was just too lanky. He was able to keep Ryo at distance with one arm, and batter his face with short elbows from the other arm. For good measure, he threw a nasty knee upwards to Ryo's already hurt body... and Ryo crumpled for the second time.

"Agh.. aghhh.. just... one... give me... one... move..." Ryo groaned, a rather pathetic sight as the man rolled and flopped to create distance. Surprisingly, K' didn't pursue. Whatever Ryo had cooked up... he was going to let him do it. He already had an idea of what it was going to be.

And it was.

"HAOH SHO KOH KEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

K' watched as the gargantuan blue fireball soared towards him... and he had the audacity to put his hands in his pockets.

"Outdated."

Just as it was sure to hit K', the kid's body faded to a black shadow and he shuffled forward, phase-shifting right through the fearsome projectile. In an instant... he was right in front of Ryo.

"Surprise."

Ryo never saw it coming, much less had time to mount a proper defense. K's fist blazed with fire as he threw an uppercut so intense, the propulsion sent his own body high into the air. A huge trail of fire followed the trajectory as it crashed into Ryo's chin and put his lights out in mid-air.

But just to make SURE Ryo went down... K' gave him a little present in the sky. Before allowing his body to descend, he sped up the process with a vicious heel strike to Ryo's head.

The end result was Ryo landing twice as hard and twice as painful on the ground. As his unconscious body slept... K' landed right next to him, raised his gloved hand... and the flame flickered out.

 **WINNER: K' DASH**

"Sorry. I'm just a little too fast for you, pops." K' delivered one last whammy before putting on his sunglasses and walking away like the edgy badass he is.

Robert slumped back in his seat. "So that's it then... we're done..."

Yuri pressed her head on his shoulder, both as a means of consoling him and also helping her own grief.

"We... we put up a good fight at least. Right, Papa?"

Takuma, even in the midst of defeat, maintained his stern expression. "Yes... we should have no regrets. We gave it our all, just as we do every other year."

 **ROUND 3 FIGHT #7: KYO KUSANAGI VS SHINGO YABUKI**

Kyo was feeling a little better about things now that Rugal was re-dead... but he was still on edge. And to be honest, things had still lost their luster. The tournament felt... dirty. Corrupted. That abomination coming out of nowhere and nearly killing Clark smeared a big, dark, nasty skid mark on this otherwise joyous occasion. Kyo was still pissed about it.

He tried to brush these thoughts aside as he stood before the uncontrollably ecstatic expression of Shingo. This was his moment... what Shingo had worked so long and hard for. Kyo wasn't going to spoil it by being a sourpuss. He was going to give it his all... because that's what Shingo wanted most of all in the world.

"I actually did it." Shingo said aloud, not exactly directed at Kyo... perhaps to his own fists, which he gazed into with a deep expression.

"I... I did it. I said I would do it, and I did it. It's not the finals... but I'm going to fight him. I'm going to fight Kyo Kusanagi in the world's greatest martial arts tournament. Mano a mano... nobody to help me. My strength against his."

Kyo couldn't deny himself a tiny grin. "You made it far, kid. I'll give you the proper respect by putting on the fight of your life. You ready?"

Shingo took a step forward, clenching his fists, his teeth shining in the bright sun.

"I was born ready for this, Kyo! LET'S ROCK!"

 **FIGHT!**

Shingo came out swinging like a madman, no consideration for his gas tank as he threw huge punches to try and rattle Kyo's brain from the get-go. Fortunately for Kyo, Shingo's form was sloppy and he was able to dodge all of them.

...But the kid just kept coming! One after the other, after the other... he wasn't stopping! Kyo could only move his head so much; pretty soon, one of those haymakers was going to connect and take his head off! He couldn't be content just dodging Shingo's punches... he had to make him pay.

Shingo took a deep step and threw with all his might a tremendous right hook; this time, Kyo dodged the attack and countered with a body punch that hit Shingo's ribs clean. He noticed the youth tense up, his teeth clenching... but his mouth widened into a grin.

Kyo was dumbfounded; Shingo took his punch and came forward with an even bigger one! This time, Kyo had to seriously backpedal to avoid the impact. But Shingo kept coming forward; he was walking Kyo down.

"Here I come!" Shingo gleefully boasted.

Kyo put his fists up and remained cool. Shingo stepped in and threw a high left; Kyo sidestepped and countered with a straight right to Shingo's nose. Shingo was stunned for a split second before returning with a body punch; Kyo tightened up, forearms against his midsection, and absorbed the punch... but damn, it still sent him backwards! The kid hit hard as hell!

Shingo went high with a left kick; Kyo easily repelled it with his wrist and once again went to the body with a hook. Shingo grunted quite audibly when he got hit with this one, and he couldn't help but take a step backwards.

...But he wasn't retreating. He was cocking his arm back.

"HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Shingo kiai'd as he lunged forward and put every ounce of his being into a massive, explosive punch of epic proportions.

"This kid...!" Kyo cursed aloud as he ducked it at the last second and countered with an uppercut. He struck Shingo's chin clean, stumbling the kid, and Kyo continued the onslaught. He went to the body a third time, then mixed it up and went high with a combination that battered Shingo's face and sent the boy on his heels. As Shingo retreated into Kyo's kicking range, the flame-wielder unleashed a foot into his stomach as a parting gift.

"Agh! C-can't retreat... gotta get close!" Shingo said aloud, perhaps his version of self-coaching.

"Just try it, kid." Kyo challenged.

With a smile, Shingo charged in... and Kyo buried his foot deep into Shingo's gut. The kid doubled over, his stomach swallowing the kick whole until it felt like an extension of him. But his reaction to the blow was... unusual.

"OOOOOF! Nice one... hahahaha! But how about THIS?"

The absurdity of Shingo laughing at taking punishment didn't even have time to register in Kyo's head. The boy pulled out a surprise from his bag of tricks; before Kyo was able to safely bring his leg back, Shingo seized it and twisted hard.

"Ah! Sh-SHIIIT!" Kyo yelped as he lost his balance and was brought down to the ground by Shingo's strength.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Shingo laughed.

In a puzzling move, Shingo didn't try to ground n' pound him. Kyo was given the opportunity to leap back up to his feet... but it wasn't until he was back upright that he realized Shingo was waiting for his recovery.

Before Kyo had a chance to get comfy on his feet again... his cheek took the full force of Shingo's nuclear-powered fisticuffs. A left sent him backwards, and a right followed behind it that nearly took Kyo off his feet. He had never been punched by his longtime admirer... so THAT'S what Shingo's power felt like!

Kyo was wobbly, but he was coherent enough to dodge the next punch that came. He backed Shingo up with an uppercut, followed by a straight left behind it. As powerful as Shingo was, the kid was sloppy on defense; every one of Kyo's attacks had connected easily.

Shingo didn't back down. He came forward swinging, going to Kyo's midsection with a hook, then looping high with a passionate left cross. He threw a right afterwards... Kyo was forced to block these raw. They were coming too fast and numerous to simply dodge, and even though none of them were hitting clean, it still hurt like hell!

The kid started showing some true balls; he actually attempted a spinning kick next! Kyo had the urge to laugh out loud as he dodged it, not out of ridicule... but amazement. Shingo was having so much fun with this, and that joy spread to Kyo as well, just from seeing the smile on that kid's goofy face. He was... bringing the fire back into this tournament! He made Kyo's insides well up with that warmth once again!

"TAKE THIS!"

Maybe Kyo was a little too awestruck; Shingo actually connected hard on his stomach, stunning Kyo long enough to give him a double dose to the temple. And this one... actually brought Kyo down.

"He knocked Kyo down!"

"Shingo dropped Kyo!"

"The kid's actually doing it!"

The crowd was getting into this. What started off as roars of approval evolved into actual chanting.

"SHINGO! SHINGO! SHINGO! SHINGO!"

Kyo knew he was the bad guy... but he didn't mind. He brought this on himself; admittedly: the black shirt, the edgy attitude, the abandonment of all duty... this was the story he created. Shingo was the hero, and he was the villain. They wanted Shingo to win.

Kyo got up, and Shingo charged at him; the flame-wielder thrust his palm downward, producing a spontaneous combustion that blew Shingo off his feet and halted his advance.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the crowd jeered in response to this sudden introduction of supernatural power.

...That one hurt Kyo's pride a little.

"Ach. Alright, alright, sorry... no flames..."

With a reluctant sigh, Kyo doused his powers. He knew what the crowd wanted: a bare knuckle brawl, two fighters on an equal stage, with only their hands, feet, and heart. Shingo deserved an equal playing field; this was the kid's dream in real time, for god's sake.

"You caught me off guard with that one, Kyo! Haha!" Shingo leaped back up, flashing a thumbs up as he praised his idol.

"Guh... full of piss and vinegar..." Kyo groaned.

They circled each other a few times in boxing range, Shingo actually taking a more calculated approach this time. He threw out a jab, but with no effect. Kyo slammed into his temple with a right hook, but Shingo was able to partially block it and return with a combination. Kyo had to block mid and then immediately high... and Shingo topped it off with a smashing roundhouse that sent Kyo backwards despite connecting on his forearm.

Taking advantage of the distance created, Kyo threw a spinning kick to Shingo's midsection that stopped his advance. That softened him up a bit.

"Ouuuuugh... gonna... lose my... lunch... JUST KIDDING! Haha! Can you imagine how embarassing it'd be if I puked on live television! I mean... derp! Haha!"

Kyo couldn't believe this; how, how, HOW in god's name was this kid such a glutton for punishment?! Kyo threw everything, EVERYTHING at him! Yet, the kid just smiled and threw it right back.

He could feel embers brewing in his palms; he had to quickly compose himself to make them die down.

Shingo walked forward again, fist drew back, and unleashed a bomb on Kyo's face. Kyo had his arms up to block it, but he could have sworn it felt like he took the real thing. He was knocked backwards, his feet betraying him as Shingo kept coming.

"Tch! RRAH!" Kyo growled as he rebounded and clocked Shingo with a straight left. Shingo laughed and returned with a right uppercut. Kyo got pissed off; he wanted this little asshole to go down already! He was losing control... losing his cool...!

Kyo abandoned his defense; he walked forward and punched Shingo straight-up. Shingo hit him back. He hit Shingo back. They were just standing in front of each other, playing the most screwed-up live version of Rock Em' Sock Em' Robots.

This carried on for several minutes, both boys huffing, grunting, blood leaking from their busted lips as they threw the best of what they had and then took it in return.

"OUUUF!"

"AGH!"

"UNNGH!"

"AUUUGH!"

Shingo's head snapped back. He made Kyo wobble like a bobblehead. Kyo gave his stomach a knuckle sandwich to fill up on. Shingo sent his head to the stars.

"GOOD GOD STOP THE MADNESS! SOMEBODY CALL 911! WE'RE WITNESSING ATTEMPTED MURDER!" Mai screeched.

"That kid... he's damn smart." Mary analyzed. "He's brought Kyo down to his level. He's making Kyo play his game."

They both stepped in simultaneously and threw a front kick to their respective chests. They both fell on their butts, springing back upwards and coming forward with a similar mindset. This time, it was a punch... and their faces got an equal share.

Kyo knew he had screwed up; he was well aware his gameplan was out the window, as he stood here and traded fists at close range with someone younger and stronger. His face bore the bruises and cuts of his foul-up... but it was too late to stop. The wheels were already in motion; he couldn't just hit the brakes now. This was happening, whether he liked it or not. He was going to stand here in front of Shingo, and Shingo would do the same... and one of them was going to go down.

"ARRRGH! GO! DOWN! ALREADY!" Kyo yelled between punches, one word being delivered per swing.

"HEH! THAT'S! MY! LINE! BUDDY!" Shingo gave him the same treatment.

Kyo stepped in, fist raised... Shingo came at him at the same speed... and they both swung.

...But only one went down.

Shingo felt surreal. He felt like he was in another reality. He could only look down at his hands as they trembled uncontrollably, his skin tingling with an almost burning sensation. Did that... just happen? Is he standing here right now? Surely he'll wake up any moment now...

But seconds passed. More seconds. Seconds became a minute. He was still standing. And Kyo was flat on his back.

"Ha... haha... HAHAHAHA! I... I DID IT! I'M GONNA BEAT KYO! I'M GONNA DO IT!"

Kyo wiped the blood from his lip as he struggled up to his feet. He was sharing a similar feeling, although on the negative end; the kid was too good. He was going to lose this... right here, right now... this was how the story played out. Somehow, he always knew it would be like this. Hell, he even said himself that Shingo was the future. How fitting that the eager youth rise up and dethrone him on this grand stage... especially after Kyo was such an asshole and earned the ire of many. It was natural progression... Shingo was just the next chapter.

...But wait. Kyo was still awake. He was still breathing. He was still an asshole. And he still had the power to say FUCK FATE!

"HERE I COME! THE FINAL BLOW!" Shingo boomed with an overwhelming morale as he rushed Kyo and prepared to end this.

Kyo watched him running towards him... and he waited. One hand behind his back, flames rising high, gathering an abundance of energy to be unleashed at once...

"Serpent Wave."

 **FWOOOOOSH!**

In an instant, Kyo lunged forward, quick-drawing his hand, and with it, an eruption of pent-up flames tore through Shingo before the kid could even count his blessings. He hit the ground, his lights out... and Kyo could have swore there was a smile on his face.

 **WINNER: KYO KUSANAGI**

The reaction of the crowd was not one of joy or disapproval... but silence. Perhaps they hadn't expected Kyo to pull such move. Perhaps they hadn't expected Shingo to be laying there unconscious in the blink of an eye. Maybe they were high off of that fight... and were now forced to come off of it hard.

Moments later, the reception finally broke out. There were some cheers... but mostly boos. They weren't so much angry that Kyo won... just that Shingo lost. Kyo had rewritten the fairy tale ending. He brought anarchy to the natural order. He gave a big middle finger to whatever cosmic force had dictated Shingo was going to knock him out and become the great hero of King of Fighters: Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite. Just another day in the life of an asshole who occasionally had to be called upon. Reluctantly.

Kyo walked away to the sound of boos... but he didn't care. He was smiling ear to ear. He felt awesome. That kid... he put the fire back in him. He made this thing fun again. Kyo was still tingling all over, an almost out-of-body experience, like he had ascended to a higher plane of existence. He wanted to fight again, and NOW. At that moment... he was glad he didn't walk away when he did.

"Thank you, Shingo. Thanks for knocking me back to normal."

 **ROUND 3 FIGHT #8: ASH CRIMSON VS ELISABETH BLANCTORCHE**

A fight that neither asked for... but here it was. They both had mixed emotions as they stood before each other... although they both had their own way of masking it. One masked it with an ice-cold, unshakable stone expression. The other... with whimsical confidence.

"I'm almost there, Betty." Ash teased in a sing-song voice. "Your window is getting smaller and smaller. You better stop me now before it's too laaaaaaaate~"

Elisabeth rolled her eyes, brandishing her crop. "You've been long overdue for a good flogging, kid. I won't lie and say I'm not gonna enjoy this."

Ash snickered. "I hate to deny you pleasure, Betty... but you have no conceivable chance of ever beating me. I'm sorry. It's just reality."

Elisabeth narrowed her eyes. "What makes you say that?"

"Because... I know something you don't know."

Elisabeth tensed up upon hearing that. Even moreso... when she saw his unsettling expression. This was more than a playful grin on his face... he had malicious intent behind that smirk. Something was off about that kid...!

"What are you on about?" Elisabeth demanded, aiming her crop at him.

Ash tilted back and laughed. "Ahahahahahahahahaha! Haaaa!"

Elisabeth growled... she hated when he did that instead of telling her what she wanted to know.

"ANSWER ME!"

Ash leaned back over, his body still trembling from an uncontrollable laughter. "Hehehehe... haha.. Betty...Betty Betty Betty BETTYYYYYY... don't you get it? This is my show. It's been my show since the very beginning. I've always had the power to destroy everyone in this competition. Honest. I haven't even tried, and yet you all fall to me one by one. It's just... ahhh... it makes me so giddy inside."

Elisabeth took a step back... Ash was... scaring her. N-no! That kid was just full of shit. He always was! The kid could win awards for blowing the most fecal matter from his mouth. Now was no different! He wasn't dangerous. He wasn't some great threat to the world. He was just a dumb kid that she had to knock sense into... and maybe... just maybe, they could go back to the way things were...

"Tell me then. If you have so much power, then why do you want the Asamiya girl's abilities?" Elisabeth demanded.

Ash shrugged. "Well, that's the beautiful thing about life. There's hardly ever a limit on life's pleasures. And now that I get to breathe the clean air again, I'm gonna indulge, indulge, INDULGE~"

Elisabeth shook her head. "I think you need another timeout in the realm of oblivion."

 **FIGHT!**

Elisabeth charged forward in a blinding flash of light, wielding her crop backhanded, letting it loose across Ash's cheek as a thunderous slap of flesh resonated. Ash yelped loudly as he was forced to take several steps back, just to get his bearings. Already the swelling was taking effect, his cheek puffing up rapidly as a horrid red blemish decorated his face.

"That hurt, Betty! Don't do it again!" Ash hissed.

Elisabeth, unfazed by his threats, lunged forward and started swinging her crop one-handed, attempting to tag him with quick, rapid strikes. Ash moved his head well, avoiding each attack just as it was sure to touch him.

Elisabeth took a deep step and spun around, attempting to throw a tremendous spinning attack... and Ash caught her wrist.

"Hmmm... do you keep a whole drawer full of these? Kinky."

His joke threw Elisabeth off... and her eyes widened with shock as Ash cackled and set her weapon ablaze, melting it to a mere fleck in her grasp, not even sustainable enough to stay in her hand. The remains of her riding crop slipped between her fingers, hitting the ground, its only fate to be blown away in a passing wind.

Elisabeth drew her fist back, light particles gathering in her palm... and she let it loose on Ash's face to make him let go of her. Ash managed to sway his head in the middle of backpedaling away, but Elisabeth was still on him. She swung hard, still aiming to smash him in his cocky little mug with just her bare hands.

Dodging a left hand, Ash quickly parried a right and fired back. His fist blazed with emerald fire as he drove it into Elisabeth's gut, stopping her aggression right then and there.

"Ah... agh...!" Elisabeth breathed out several squeaky, choked gasps.

Ash snickered as he unleashed a truly telegraphed and flamboyant move; going airborne, he did a mid-air backwards cartwheel, his feet blazing a trail of fire as both feet successively smashed into Elisabeth's chin, one after the next. His beloved Betty went down, and Ash stuck the landing and still had time to strike a sassy pose.

"That's for marking my face, Betty. I'm gonna need some ice for it. Maybe I'll steal that ice girl's powers while I'm at it, ahahahahaha!"

Elisabeth had to shake her head a few times to clear her vision... but her ears worked fine. The more Ash spewed that malignant garbage, the more motivated she was to get back up and slap him around.

Ash came forward, launching a high kick that Elisabeth rolled off her shoulder. He followed up low, attempting to kick her foot out, but Elisabeth smoothly lifted her leg at the last moment. Moving her body with her momentous motion, Elisabeth spun completely around and came across Ash's cheek with a backhanded slap, her bare hand emblazoned with silver energy. Although she didn't have her weapon... it still hurt just as bad. And admittedly, it felt satisfying to slap Ash like that.

Licking the blood from his lip, Ash threw a kick to Elisabeth's stomach to no avail; her forearms blocked it. But in lowering her arms... she left her face wide open. And Ash was a damn agile kid.

As soon as he brought his left leg back to the ground, he pushed off with it and spun around 360... and his right foot crashed across Elisabeth's temple with a clean spinning roundhouse.

At that moment... Elisabeth had lost her light. She was seeing the opposite.

Elisabeth hit the ground, and everyone thought she was done. Ash was already standing over her, triumphant, waving and blowing kisses to the booing crowd. But the Frenchwoman returned to consciousness quickly, her ticket not yet cashed.

"W-was I out? Ugh... that damned kid..." Elisabeth cursed quietly as she slowly struggled to her feet.

"Oooh. I thought you were done for a second, Betty." Ash smirked. "But it seems you want to continue this. Alas... I'm not having as much fun as I thought. I really don't like to fight you, Betty. You know that, right?"

Elisabeth spat at his feet. "Then stop giving me reasons to want to kick your ass!"

The Frenchwoman lunged and threw a wide roundhouse, whizzing over Ash's head. She followed through with the motion and spun around, hand extended, a huge burst of silver light gathering, preparing to unleash a mighty blast. She protruded her palm...

...And his palm was also extended, green flames gathering into a sphere, pent-up energy preparing to combust. Their bodies were entwined, their eyes meeting perfectly in the center...

At that moment, these two childhood friends, these two lifelong acquaintances... were opposite sides of the same coin. Light and Dark. Black and White. Virtue and Greed. At that very moment, that split second, it was almost like a melding between them, as all the memories, all the emotions they shared between each other became one...

Their eyes never left each other as their palms touched.

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

The explosion rocked the Coliseum, swallowing the combat zone in a thick mushroom cloud of white, black, gray, green. It expanded, until the smog and heat blasted every face in the stands, producing an orchestra of coughs and grunt of discomfort as everyone attempted to recover from that blast despite not even being a part of it.

It took only a few seconds before every eye was fixated once again down there, as they awaited the smoke to clear...

...And then a stadium-wide groan of disappointment. The kid they held in such contempt merely blew a strand of hair out of his face and walked away, leaving Elisabeth to lay there groaning.

"Au revoir, Betty."

 **WINNER: ASH CRIMSON**

Although initially appearing to be colder than ever... Ash stopped by Chizuru on his way. A simple request from his lips perhaps went a long way towards painting a picture that wasn't completely black.

"Take care of her, please. Or you'll have me to deal with AGAIN."

Ash walked away from the Coliseum, supposedly to revel in victory in his fancy suite... but something tasted funny.

Bitter.

 **Only two fights left. Only two spots left in the Final 10. Stay tuned for the epic two-fight finale of Round 3, as the remaining four contestants battle for supremacy!**


	29. Chapter 29: Round 3, pt 5

**Hoo boy. What a chapter this is. I told you it was a two-fight finale and I meant it! Both of these fights are main event worthy. Enjoy.**

 **Author's Pick: LOL**

Another round was in the books. 80 contestants had entered... and now, only two spots remained for what would be the beginning of the end. 8 fighters had already booked their ticket to the quarterfinals... and now, the remaining 4 would feel a heightened sense of urgency to stay in the competition. Their fight would be harder, more important than ever before...

"Just look at them all, Krauser. Look at them, cheering... waiting for their champion."

Geese and Krauser stood side-by-side on the sidelines, arms folded, as they awaited the start of what would be the penultimate fight. They were taking this minute to have a shockingly solemn moment between them. Well... as solemn as two hated siblings could have.

"They're not cheering for you. Don't delude yourself." Krauser jabbed.

Geese took it in good spirit, returning with an arrogant chuckle. "Heh heh heh... don't be jealous."

"You forget yourself, young man." Krauser taunted. "You know I was always your superior."

"Times have changed. There was a time when I was scared shitless of you." Geese reminisced. "But that time is long gone now. I know what I'm capable of. Winning this tournament is my destiny. This is how I go out. I swear, I'll f***ing die out there before I let anyone else win."

Krauser grinned a twisted grin after hearing that. "If you face me... you just might."

Geese scoffed. "Think you can get past one little girl?"

Krauser folded his arms. "Wait for me in the finals, brother. Unless the Lone Wolf chews you up first."

With that last jab, Krauser walked away and towards the combat zone. Athena had just emerged from the other end.

 **ROUND 3 FIGHT #9: WOLFGANG KRAUSER VS ATHENA ASAMIYA**

"Accursed ill luck!" Chin cursed. "To face that barbarian once again...!"

"Yeah... I'm still feeling it from our scrap. Ouch!" Kensou didn't help matters much with his bellyaching.

"M-master Chin... Athena can do it, can't she? Huh? Can't she?" Bao persisted, perhaps naively clinging to hope for the girl he adored. Thankfully, Chin had a similar mindset.

"Of course she can, you fool! Athena is our champion. She's the foundation of our culture, our way of life. Athena represents everything we stand for... that's why she won't fail here. Her faith is too strong."

In the combat zone, there was no more time to waste. Krauser was already there, and his towering frame sent a very chilling reminder to any who dared stand in front of him: he was a bad dude. This was the man that Geese Howard once feared... The Emperor of Darkness.

"Um... excuse me... M-Mr. Krauser?"

The man raised an eyebrow as he was addressed by the idol herself, who was back in her natural purple-haired form. Today, she had opted for the classic white and blue schoolgirl outfit: comfy and versatile, but with all the embarassing upskirt shots the audience could dream of.

"If you have something to say, talk quickly, girl. You're about to have the showdown of your life!" Krauser intimidated.

Athena scratched her head, managing a nervous smile. "Uhh heheh... you may have beaten Kensou, but he's an idiot. I'll probably do better... I th-think..."

Krauser's lips widened with malicious glee. "You're going to need more certainty than that to match wits with me, girl. You may have a supernatural gift, but I've trained my mind and body from childhood to be the ultimate weapon. Just look at me. I have no flaws. Not a single variable of imperfection. Not a shred of deficiency or limitation that you can exploit. It's my destiny to rise again and step over my pathetic brother's battered carcass. This tournament is my rebirth."

Athena nodded, now understanding Krauser's ambition. She shook aside her meekness, cast away her hesitation... and took a step forward.

"You have a strong will, Mr. Krauser! But so do I! My destiny is to bring glory to the Psycho Soldiers! I'm the only one who can! The world needs to know who we are... to know that we are the dispellers of evil! We're the ones who can answer the call when darkness rises! I'm going to win this tournament, and put the name Psycho Soldiers back on the map!

Her pious, unwavering stature suddenly dissolved... and she fiddled with her hair, cracking a goofy smile.

"A-and I guess... winning would help my publicity a little... ehehehehe~"

Krauser tilted his head back. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Ah, you're still just a little girl. You know nothing of TRUE ambition. Allow me to show you what it means to be chosen by fate!"

 **FIGHT!**

The fight started quick, and brutal. Krauser rushed in, throwing a huge overhand left, and an overhand right behind it. His punches were so wide, so overexerting, his fists nearly touched the ground with how tremendous he was swinging.

Athena was reduced to a jumping flea, dodging each blow as it came at her with enough force to crush boulders. Krauser stepped forward with no fear, throwing his muscular arms towards her face with swings that could put a bull to sleep. She felt her legs trembling beneath her, genuine fear at the thought of being hit by the man...

But wait: Kensou got hit by him. Kensou is still alive, isn't he? Maybe... she can take it too. She can do this! Krauser is no god. He's just a man... a very big, physically perfect man with beautiful purple hair and a badass mustache.

Krauser's fist soared wide from the left, attempting to knock her head from her shoulders; Athena ducked it and countered with an uppercut palm to his chin. His head budged only slightly upwards, his body not even retreating upon feeling the attack.

Athena, on the other hand, was already feeling her hand flare up just from striking him. Damn, she probably got the worst of that...!

Not impressed, Krauser fired back with a straight-up torpedo of a fist to her chest.

"Ah!" Athena yelped as she brought her forearms close to block it... and the punch didn't care. Despite it not hitting clean, Athena flew backwards all the same, her feet no longer underneath her, her arms and legs folded inwards as she learned what it felt like to be a baseball struck by a bat.

Athena seemed to fly backwards for several seconds before her butt finally touched down and skidded across the ground. Wearing a skirt felt like MURDER now, as she was now dreaming of sitting down in a cool pond to quell her burning biscuits.

"Jesus, one punch... one punch, and she's halfway across the arena." Kensou cursed. "I can't let this happen to Athena! I..."

"Calm yourself, boy." Chin stopped him. "If you interfere now, it'll only quicken her defeat."

Athena was on her feet in no time, rushing forward to try and close the huge valley between them. Since she was so far away she might as well try...

"PSYCHO BAAAAAALL!"

"BLITZ BALL!"

...Well, that worked out perfectly. The two projectiles met mid-field and exploded, cancelling each other out. It did provide a nice smokescreen, however... and Athena took that moment to teleport up close.

As soon as Krauser looked down, he was met with a mess of sparkles and a purple-haired girl throwing a kick to his gut. Krauser didn't seem to mind, but Athena wasn't done there; using his stomach for leverage, she pushed off and went airborne, clobbering him in the jaw with a hooking palm. As Krauser recoiled, Athena gracefully landed on her feet and spun around with a slapping chop to his abdomen. That one... was a mistake. His rock-hard abs felt like smacking a brick wall.

To finish her combo on a high note, Athena balanced herself on one hand and thrust her foot outward, connecting on Krauser's groin, then a follow-up kick higher to his stomach. She then backflipped stylishly to a safe distance, returning to stance.

"Grrr! Annoying little bug!" Krauser lashed out at her, perhaps bearing a bit of a grudge for that low blow. Athena wasn't ashamed; she had to get her licks in where she could.

Krauser was on her again, arm drawn back, attempting a massive lariat. Athena phase-shifted backwards. He pressed forward in similar fashion; another teleport. Athena kicked him from behind, and Krauser swung around with a spinning clothesline. Athena barrel-rolled between his legs and emerged unscathed on the other side. By the time the baffled Krauser spun back around, she checked his jaw with a diagonal elbow thrust.

"So elusive! Like a little FLY!" Krauser boomed as he drew back and unleashed a Blitz Ball out of anger. However, this would only serve to add to his grief, as he learned that Athena was not the right person to take potshots at.

The purple haired girl quickly spread her arms, creating a wide barrier of Psycho Power that happily received Krauser's fireball.. and sent it back at him.

"Wha...? Damnation! RRAH!" Krauser bellowed. Before his own Blitz Ball could hit him, he effortlessly swung through the fireball with his gauntlet, reducing it to vanishing embers.

Athena felt her confidence rising. Kensou had hit him multiple times before getting beaten down. She had barely taken a hit. She had already exceeded Kensou's attempt!

"LEG TOMAHAWWWK!"

Krauser threw her off with this surprisingly swift attack: taking to the skies and coming down on Athena with a heel drop of terrifying proportions. Athena managed to backpedal and dodge the hit... but her retreat was still a failure. Just the mere SHOCKWAVE of Krauser's boot smashing the Earth was enough to blast Athena into a stumble.

Krauser saw her unaligned feet, and smiled.

"BLITZ BALL!"

Athena panicked. Things were moving too fast. She lifted her hands to create a Psycho Reflector, but didn't concentrate hard enough; the projectile slammed into her shoddy shield and exploded.

She couldn't see clearly. Her feet were god knows where. All around her... confusion. No! She had to get her head back in this...!

...But she looked forward, and reality came crashing back.

The collective stomachs of the entire Coliseum dropped when they saw Krauser drive his forearm into Athena's face, then just as brutally slam a follow-up fist into her gut. The girl was bodied just like that, unable to withstand the insane power of Krauser's crushing strikes.

"Ungh... ahh... aghhhh..." Athena groaned weakly as she lay there, vainly trying to recover from the 300-pound gorilla that punched her with glee. It took a series of coughs, and a lot of painful, raspy breaths... before she managed to roll over and spring back upwards.

Krauser wasn't nearly done with her.

Athena felt the cold metal of Krauser's gauntlet once again as he backhanded her in the face. She wobbled to the left, but stayed upright and tried to return with a flying kick. She connected clean... but Krauser laughed and dusted off his pectoral where her foot landed.

"Oh... shit." the otherwise modest girl cursed.

Krauser raised his arm and brought a crushing hammer fist down on her dome, laying her out face-first. But the relentless man didn't stop there; he lifted her back up by her shirt, and continued the onslaught with a series of vicious elbows, knocking her face left and right, before finally sending her back in the dirt with a sobat. Thankfully, the force of that kick knocked Athena a good length away and allowed her some merciful distance.

"Cough cough... ugh... ah... my face..." Athena wailed upon bringing her fingers up to feel the swelling, the cuts, the blood. "I'll have to go on hiatus..."

"Heh heh! Ha ha ha! It'll take more than makeup to fix your face, girly!" Krauser sneered. "Do yourself a favor and stay down. Preserve your beauty."

That wasn't the answer she wanted to hear; Athena got back up, wiping the blood from her lip, and returned to stance.

"I'm a fighter! Never forget that!" she defiantly exclaimed.

Krauser snarled as he approached. "Then your foolishness will bring you more pain!"

Athena stumbled forward and took a straight punch to the chin for her troubles. She tried to counter with a body punch... but her fist merely bounced off of Krauser's abdomen, having lost a lot of her strength.

"IS THIS ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" Krauser taunted as he obliterated her face with a rising knee.

"YOU DARE STAND BEFORE ME?!" Krauser spun around and sent his forearm crashing into her stomach.

"I AM DESTINED TO STAND ABOVE YOU TWERPS!" he lifted his giant boot and sent Athena tumbling with an effortless push kick.

"Ah... hah... ugh.. P... Psycho... Ball..." Athena weakly uttered as she tried to mount some form of offense with a projectile.

The projectile soared... and bounced off of Krauser's shoulder, disappearing as the man smiled.

"You have no more strength in your attacks. Face it: a tiny girl like you could never beat someone like me, a perfect physical specimen. I'm too big, too strong, too glorious for you to even stand in my shadow. YOU'RE FINISHED!"

In the stands, Shen Woo shook his head. "Man, that sucks for Athena. Let's face it: Krauser's a huge-ass guy. She can dodge his punches all day, but eventually one was going to hit her and mess her up. I mean seriously, these two are UNIVERSES apart in weight class. It should be against the f***ing rules for a slender girl to fight someone that big!"

Duo Lon narrowed his eyes. "You may be right... but that girl is no mere mortal. She has psychic powers beyond our comprehension. Even now, she could turn the fight around..."

Athena was back up, and she teleported forward to close distance. If she was going out, she was going out swinging. A left hand tried to connect, but Krauser's arm pushed it aside and he countered with another brutal knee. Athena reeled back, but concentrated and took to the skies as Krauser tried to come forward...

"PHOENIX ARROW!"

Her body curled into a ball, shrouded by a sphere of Psycho Power, she flew downwards and struck Kaiser in the face like a dodgeball. That served to be a CRUCIAL mistake... as Athena found herself feeling more like a fly in a web than she ever had. Before she could proceed to the final phase of her attack, Krauser had snatched her up in mid-air and gave her the least-affectionate hug in history.

"Ngh! Ngah! Oh god... his arms are so big.. nghhhhhhaaaaah!"

Krauser had her in a back-breaking bear hug. The audience was starting to get worried now; he could LITERALLY break her like a candy cane within his massively bloated muscles.

"Does it hurt, girl? You brought this on yourself!" Krauser berated.

Athena was in serious pain. Her eyeballs felt close to popping out. Her spine could snap at any minute. She had to focus... close her eyes.. and focus...

"Ngh! Ah! Gh! GhhhAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Exploding with strength she seldom ever used, Athena teleported out of his murderous grip and distanced herself big time. She needed a moment after that one... if nothing else than to drop to her knees and kiss the ground.

"ATHENA! STOOOOOOOP! PLEASE!" Kensou wailed.

Athena looked up at Kensou: he was almost in tears, his face pleading to see her harmed no further. Since she had no mirror, she could only imagine what Kensou was looking at right now: her right eye was so swollen, she could see naught but a tiny crack of light shining through. The swelling on her left side was thankfully underneath the eye, but was puffing up so rapidly that darkness was creeping in from below. Her lip was split on both the top and bottom, giving the appearance of a nasty vertical gash through both ends.

She shot a glance up once again; Kensou was on the edge of his seat, hand squeezing his lap, his foot tapping uncontrollably against the ground, as if he was doing everything within his rights to not leap out of his seat and rescue her-

Wait. This was familiar. SHE had given him the same treatment when he himself fought Krauser. Did be back down? Not for one second.

"I'm sorry Kensou... but I'm not going to quit." Athena silently muttered. "You fought on to your last breath, and so will I. So look away... if you must..."

Athena started to walk forward, the fires of her zeal once again beginning to roar. She was about to go back over there and mix it up with Krauser again, even at the expense of her beautiful face and Kensou's nerves.

But as she took one step forward... something froze her in her tracks. A voice... one that she knew all too well. Because it was... HER.

 **"Athena, STOP!"**

"E-eh?!"

Athena's eyes widened as she saw the figure now standing before her: a luminous being, incapable of being seen by other eyes. Long, flowing purple hair, armed with a sword and shield of righteousness, an aura glowing, PULSING with the divine power of justice... and a sexy-ass red bikini to boot.

"Y-you... you... you... YOU'RE my... ancestor!"

Goddess Athena nodded. **"Listen to me Athena... you have a choice to make."**

Athena stammered. "I-I d-do?!"

 **"Yes. I can grant you the power to strike down Krauser... but continuing on from here can bring you even greater hardship."**

Athena's eyes widened. "So what are you saying? I can win?!"

 **"You may. But listen carefully, Athena, because I'm about to reveal your future... if you beat Krauser here, you will face a boy. He wields the power of green fire, and his waggish demeanor belies his sinister intentions. If you lose to him, the results could be... catastrophic. You could experience greater loss: a piece of yourself, ripped from you. And in turn, the world could be in danger from what the boy acquires."**

"I don't understand... Ash wants to take something from me?" Athena inquired.

 **"Yes. He wants your power."**

"Ah! No!"

 **"The boy has become corrupt. His quest to steal the Sacred Treasures, to destroy his ancestor... he lost himself along that road. Saiki's influence still rests in the recesses of his mind, whetting his hunger... intensifying his greed, his lust for power."**

"Th-that's terrible!" Athena squealed. "Poor Ash..."

 **"Ha! Not "poor Ash". The boy has the power to resist it, these lingering oddments of a being no longer in existence. If he wanted to, he could live his life never allowing these insignificant leavings to govern his psyche. It's mostly the boy's own disposition that drives him to seek power and shun his childhood friend. How sad."**

Athena put a hand to her chin. "So what should I do?"

 **"Well, you do have a choice. You could lose here. Krauser wins, the threat of Ash taking your power is no more. Or... you could win. Advance in the contest, face Ash, and risk losing your powers to his avarice."**

Athena looked down, biting her lip (and tasting copper). It WAS a dilemma: she could lose right now, and the world could be safe from the potential threat of Ash having her Psycho Power. All she had to do was...

...But wait! She could WIN too. She could beat Krauser, beat Ash, win this contest! Her name up in lights, honor brought to the Psycho Soldiers... gaaah! But why did that feel so much like vanity?! Was that her righteousness speaking, or was that the pop idol in her, seeking the fame and glory?

"I...I... I don't know!" Athena wailed. "If I lose, I'm safe, but if I win, I could... I could stop Ash!"

Goddess Athena folded her arms. **"Uh huh. But that's a pretty big gamble. Krauser's messed you up pretty bad, and Ash has little more than a scratch."**

"B-but wait!" Athena argued. "You can help me beat Krauser, doesn't that mean you can help me defeat Ash?!"

Goddess Athena frowned. **"Look, you only get one of these okay? This is my only day off from Heaven. I could have spent it getting a bikini wax, maybe a pedicure, but no I decided to come help out my goofy descendant. So just be thankful and make a choice already!"**

Athena shut her eyes and thought hard, wrinkles forming on her forehead from the intensity of her straining. Audible groans leaked from her mouth as she pondered... pondered...

"Guhhhhhhh... hmmmmmmmm... grrrrrrrr... GAAAH! I'M NOT JUST GONNA GIVE UP! I CAN STILL WIN IT ALL! THE RISK DOESN'T MATTER IF I CAN JUST BEAT ASH! AND I WILL! ASH CRIMSON IS GOING DOWN!"

Athena thrust a finger, addressing her ancestor. "Goddess Athena... GRANT ME YOUR POWER!"

"...Is she pointing at me?" Krauser scratched his head.

Goddess Athena rolled her eyes. **"Very well then. I grant you my sword and shield and yadda yadda yadda. Let's do this already. Krauser is starting to look at you weird."**

The man in question was indeed quite confused as to why Athena was talking to herself this whole time. He decided to chalk it up to hitting her head just a few times too many.

"You're starting to concern me, talking to yourself. Perhaps I should put you to sleep already!"

Krauser ran towards her, determined to strike the final blow. He had no fear, no concern for retaliation. To him, Athena was less a threat than a defenseless baby: he could knock her aside with one swing, advance to the semifinals. Maybe face his younger brother. Maybe face the man who actually ended his reign of Southtown years ago. Either one would be sweet.

He spun around, preparing to unleash the granddaddy of sobats to the girl's weary body... but his attack would never connect.

"Whaa, ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He was blinded. From Athena's body emerged an aura so pure, so unbendingly divine... his body couldn't even stand up to it. As he tried to get up, he felt his body working against him, as if a holy power was keeping him on his knees, subjugating him.

"Agh! What... is... this... power?!"

Athena approached him, her body pulsing with bright red energy, a distinct form engulfing her, in the shape of a phoenix's wings. In one hand, the sword of her heavenly ancestor. In the other hand, the heart-shaped shield itself.

"Krauser! You're done!' Athena bellowed. Even her voice... so mystical, so godlike... was she even human?!

"Ngh! You... won't... make me... KNEEL!"

Through the most sheer, impossible willpower of his own, Krauser forced himself back up and ran towards her with no hesitation. He unleashed a kick towards her head, but his attack bounced off of her buckler and shook him so fiercely, the metal on his boots vibrated.

"Ngh! LEG TOMAHAWK!"

Krauser went high, coming down on her head with his vicious aerial attack. His foot attempted to bombard her head, but her shield once again was there to halt him. Athena pushed him back, and he skidded several yards albeit still on his feet.

"Grrrr... KAISERRRRRRRRR WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE!"

There it was: the final solution, the ultimate resort when the man wanted something completely obliterated. From his hands flew the brightest purple, crescent-shaped, all-powerful smiting wave of energy. To any normal man, this would blow them away... but not a deity.

Athena's shield held true, as her body was lost in an ocean of purple that burned all around her. In spite of the raging hellstorm of Krauser's wrath, a lone girl shape could still be seen in the purple inferno, clinging to that shield for dear life.

At last, the Kaiser Wave subsided... and Athena was still standing.

"NO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" Krauser denied. "You're not... human...!"

"Y-yeah... you're right. Sorry! Ehehehehe..." Athena awkwardly chuckled.

"You... you..." Krauser panted, exhaustion starting to catch up to him finally. "You were... granted... bestowed more... power... dishonorable..."

"I'm sorry for this, Mr. Krauser. Really I am." Athena humbly replied. "But I wanted to win. And now... I MUST win."

Athena raised her holy sword of justice high above her head, as her body pulsed with that same crimson energy. Her eyes glowed bright, her voice supernatural as she needed utter only one word:

"Psycho."

With a ferocious swing of her sword, a ray of energy shot outwards and pelted Krauser head-on, the force so unstoppable it sent him flying straight into the foundation of the Coliseum. His body impacted against solid concrete, leaving a Krauser-shaped imprint in the wall as he fell to the ground.

All at once, the power faded from Athena. She felt the goddess's influence leave her... and she was a mere Psycho Soldier popstar once again.

 **WINNER: ATHENA ASAMIYA**

"Athena... she did it..." Bao exclaimed.

"But how..." Chin muttered.

"It doesn't matter how! She did it! SHE DID IT!" Kensou yelled like a broken record. He was on his feet, the boy close to flying from the stands to meet his victorious partner.

"She doesn't look very happy about it." Momoko observed.

"Yes. Something feels amiss here..." Chin pondered.

Kensou was the only one failing to notice. "Hey hey, what is wrong with you guys? Why aren't you cheering? ATHENA BEAT KRAUSER!"

Chin sighed. "Nevermind, Sie. Nevermind."

 **ROUND 3 FIGHT #10: TERRY BOGARD VS GEESE HOWARD**

Terry ditched his retro look today, opting for his brown jacket over a white t-shirt instead of his classic red. Furthermore, his red cap was abandoned, allowing people to get a better glimpse of his golden hair which rested just below his shoulders. To complete his updated look was a pair of sturdy brown shoes replacing his red sneakers.

...Geese on the other hand, ironically, had abandoned his modern clothing to go with a timeless throwback: orange hakama, white socks... and his classic white gi with the American flag emblazoned on the back.

The Coliseum grew deathly silent as these two stood before each other. Everyone and their mother knew of the history here: the "mysterious disappearance" of Jeff Bogard, and then, many years later... a young man named Bogard winning King of Fighters... and Geese Howard taking an unpleasant plunge out of the top of his compound.

"Andy, baby? Are you okay?" Mai whispered softly to her lover, who was rocking restlessly where he sat. His eyes couldn't be torn away from the combat zone.

"I'm fine... f-fine." Andy muttered.

"You're sweating..." Mai whispered as she leaned over and dabbed at his temple.

"Do you blame me?" Andy sighed.

"Not one bit."

In the combat zone, Terry and Geese were having a staring match for the ages. They had both done this song and dance before. Many, many times... many, many unpleasant circumstances. It was always a deathmatch between them: one walking away cherishing life, one usually making a crater in the streets below.

Terry would have to get used to this not being the case. It was just... difficult. It was so strange to look in the eyes of Geese Howard, the murderer, and not see what he usually sees. Those weren't the eyes of Jeff Bogard's killer. They weren't the eyes of a crime-dealing kingpin. Those eyes belonged to a true martial artist: one who had bore his soul to his sworn enemy in a hospital room just one afternoon ago. Only a man who wanted to taste sweet victory with every fiber of his being could have such eyes.

"...I want this, Bogard." Geese addressed him. "I want this more than any man ever wanted anything. You're not gonna defeat me this time."

Terry actually cracked a smile. "Oh? Why is that, duck?"

Geese clenched his fists. "Because this isn't your usual story. You're not the knight in shining armor slaying the big bad monster. For the first time, we're equals. No... no we're NOT actually. No. I want this more than you do. That makes me more worthy! You don't give a shit about this, Bogard! I DO!"

Terry's face turned serious again. "Don't presume to know what I'm feeling, Geese. Because I feel a HELL of a lot anytime I'm standing in front of you. I don't care how badly you want to win. I have wants too: I want to beat your face bloody for all eternity."

Geese extended a hand, making a beckoning gesture. "Then let this be the next chapter of us. COME ON!"

 **FIGHT!**

Terry shot forward like a rocket, fist blazing blue, not even bothering to announce Burn Knuckle as he flew towards Geese with a vengeance. He had the element of surprise: no way Geese could defend this out of the blue. He was almost there... he could feel the hit already connecting!

...Geese caught his wrist, knuckles inches away from touching his face.

"Predictable."

Without time to mutter a profanity, Terry went flying over Geese's head, courtesy of a perfect counter-throw. He landed uncomfortably on his shoulder; a great start to the fight already.

Adrenaline drowned out the painful landing; Terry sprang up and was back on Geese in seconds. He started pummeling Geese's body with left and right hooks, not conserving of his energy at all. Geese had his arms close to absorb them... but he knew better than anyone how hard Terry could hit. He couldn't keep taking punches like this... he had to catch one... just one... THERE!

Geese timed the arrival of a left hand and seized Terry's whole arm. Taking advantage of that split moment of shock, he controlled Terry by dragging him forward, sticking a foot out to trip him... then sent Terry for a ride over his shoulder and to the ground for the second time.

Terry's body flared up once again as it thudded against the ground. He clenched his teeth... pure grit would help him play through the pain. He couldn't give Geese many more of those...

Still holding Terry's arm, Geese tried to rain a fist on his downed opponent. However, upon only using one arm to hold Terry down, Bogard was able to muscle back to his feet. Geese only managed to catch him with a couple of short punches to the face, none of them really doing any major damage. Terry on the other hand... he liked where he was at.

Up close and personal, he cracked Geese's chin with an uppercut. A body blow followed behind, and Geese doubled over in pain and started retreating. Naturally, as Geese backed into Terry's kicking range, Bogard tried to throw a roundhouse...

Terry quickly learned that he had to throw kicks with caution. Geese caught his ankle, locked his foot tight, twisted, and brought Bogard crashing to the ground once again. But Geese didn't stop there; he had a special present for his nemesis, who had landed on his stomach.

The next thing Terry felt was his calf bending inwards, smooshing hard against his own leg meat, and an ungodly pressure pressing down on it. Geese was on top of his leg, putting him in a calf slicer. But this wasn't a friendly one; he probably wasn't going to stop, even if Terry tapped. He wanted the older Bogard brother's lower leg as a TROPHY.

Terry quickly figure out Geese wasn't going to stop. He had to move NOW, or he would seriously lose his leg. He crawled forward like his life depending on it, using one foot to press against Geese, and desperately trying to slip his captured leg out of Geese's monstrous grip.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I'M GOING TO BREAK YOU!" Geese really got the fight going with some classic banter.

"NGH! RAAAGH! NOT TODAY, GOOSE!" Terry fired back as he finally pulled free of Geese's crushing submission.

Content to allow Terry to escape, Geese stood back up and prepared himself for hand-to-hand again. Terry happily obliged, rushing forward and clocking Geese with a clean right hand. The next one bounced off of Geese's shoulder, and the hated enemy returned with a smashing left to Terry's stomach.

After all this time, Geese could still hit like the devil; Terry felt his wind shoot out, escaping before he could suck it back into his lungs. He wanted to fall to his knees right then; it was only his burning hatred of days' past that drove him to keep standing and clobber Geese again.

Terry threw a high kick, Geese brought his arms close and shrugged it off his bicep. He returned with a thrusting palm to Terry's stomach, giving the younger man an even greater pain to his already aching body. The pain would only get worse, as he followed up with:

"DOUBLE REPPUKEN!"

This wasn't the long range one; Geese slashed Terry up close with his modified Reppuken, designed for close encounters. Both hits struck Terry flush, sending Bogard through the air and down to the ground with a hard landing.

"Shit, Geese is wearing him down!" Joe cried.

"Relax. It's always like this." Andy reassured. "This is pretty much following the script. Geese gets some good shots in, and Terry turns thing around..."

Terry struggled up to his feet slightly, but was still game. As Geese stood there, grin on his face... round 2 of the banter continued.

"You can feel it, can't you Bogard? That this time will be different? I'm fighting for a noble cause this time; that's why you're not gonna be the big hero like always."

Terry put up his fists and smiled. "I bet the crowd will cheer just the same when I knock you out. CRACK SHOT!"

Geese tensed up, recoiling; he wasn't expecting that one so abruptly! Terry somersaulted forward, his heel smashing Geese's crowd with a nasty aerial strike. Damn... he wasn't even monologuing, and Terry caught him.

Geese was down on one knee after that one. But Terry snatched him by the shirt and stood him back up. He drew his fist back... and he smashed Geese's face in.

The crowd did indeed explode with positive reception as the kingpin toppled like a Jenga tower. He lay flat on the ground, his face wearing a dazed expression... along with some swelling.

"BOSS! Don't go out like this!" Billy pleaded.

Geese got up, still wobbly. He couldn't see the next punch in time to dodge it, and it collided with his temple. His legs buckled for the slightest moment... but he returned to normal a second later.

"Geese is out on his feet, bro! FINISH HIM!" Andy cheered.

Geese rolled the next punch off his forearm, and countered Terry with a short elbow. Terry took it flush, blinking a few times; it must have rattled him. Geese sensed this and wisely went back to Terry's body with a knee, aware that he had hit Terry there multiple times already.

"Ugggghk!"

Terry gave him just the reaction he wanted: hunching over, clutching his stomach in pain, legs rapidly retreating. Geese was more than happy to pursue his wounded prey.

"DOUBLE REPPUKEN"

This was a long range one... but something was odd. Geese went through the motions, swinging his left arm upwards followed by his right, producing his blue chi... but only one Reppuken went forward. It LOOKED different; almost like it was even bigger than a normal one. In fact, one could say that it was... two Reppukens in one!

"Did you see what he did there, Joe?" Andy asked.

"Huh? What? I'm paying attention!" Joe mumbled between bites of his meatball mozerella sub.

"He chained two Reppukens together to fire one big blast. Very crafty."

"You think Terry could do the same?" Mai inquired.

"In theory. I think Terry would rather punch him, though."

Terry got up, panting hard. His stomach felt like it had been punched clean through. He found himself struggling to take a single step forward without having to hunch over. But there was still one saving grace: Geese looked like he didn't know where he was right now. Terry had caught him with some huge bombs; maybe, just maybe he could approach Geese without fear of getting countered.

First, time to close distance.

"BURN KNUCKLE!"

Terry didn't go forward enough to actually connect; he just wanted to stop within range of Geese's attacks and bait his nemesis. Geese TOOK the bait; taking a huge swing at Terry which he was able to duck easily.

"POWAH DUNK!"

Terry countered with one of his more creative and dangerous techniques, setting Geese up in the air with a flying knee that lifted him high... and spiking him down with a chi-fueled power punch. Both hits connected with 100% success, and Terry was one step closer to sealing this fight.

As nice as it would've been to see Geese stay down, the kingpin barrel rolled backwards and retaliated with a Reppuken.

The blue wave sailed towards Terry, as it had done many times in their jagged past. Terry was so far beyond this now.

"POWAH WAVE!"

Slamming his fist downwards, a yellow wave of chi went out to meet the blue one. The two colors collided in the middle, cancelling each other out with a short explosion.

This momentary projectile gave them enough time to get back up, and they were on each other like two MANIACS. Terry struck him hard in the body, following up with a left hook high. Geese's forearm blocked the headshot, and he struck Terry between the eyes with a rigid palm. Terry waned, but his feet stayed planted. He fired a knee upwards; Geese's knee also lifted at that same moment, and their legs awkwardly collided and pushed them backwards.

Terry charged and swung at Geese; Geese swayed his head and caught Terry's jaw with a short left. He followed up, ripping Terry to the body once again with a straight right. Terry let out an extremely audible grunt, but his fury drove him forward and he knocked Geese's face north with an uppercut. As Geese stumbled back, Terry fired a kick to the midsection, shin cleaving into stomach and giving Geese's internal organs a shockwave.

Geese parried Terry's impending three-hit combination punch and fired back with a sharp jab to his nose. A trickle of blood started to flow; Terry merely flicked it from his nostril and lunged in with a DEEP overhand right. Geese had to sidestep this, lest it take his head clean off.

Taking advantage of Terry's massive whiff, the Bogard hunched over, his feet awry... Geese lifted his elbow high and rained it down on Terry's back, knocking him facefirst to the ground.

"NOOOO! GET UP! GET UP!" Andy urged.

Terry hit his forehead on the ground, and he felt it when he stood back up: the tickling sensation of blood drizzling. Thankfully, it trailed between his eyes and down the bridge of his nose, no danger of it getting in his eyes.

Terry threw a kick high; Geese caught his leg, tucked it under his forearm, and forcefully extended a hand to press on Terry's chest. With one leg to stand on, Terry was unable to sustain himself and was taken down.

As soon as they hit the ground, Geese fluidly transitioned to full mount. Before Terry even had time to put his arms up, the fists started raining down on him.

Leff to the eye. Right underneath the eye. Left to his temple. Right to the cheek. Terry's vision grew spotty, as the punches kept coming... kept coming... pretty soon he would go to sleep...

"F*** YOU!"

Terry wasn't just going to lie down. Despite being on the bottom, he recklessly swung at Geese and caught his hated nemesis clean across the cheek.

"Wh-wha..?!" Geese stammered.

Terry started swinging. He didn't care. Screw defense, screw position, screw everything else. Geese's face was right in front of him!

"F*** YOU F*** YOU F*** YOU F*** YOU F*** YOU F*** YOUUUUUU!"

The fight had turned to pure chaos. This was no longer a martial arts competition; it was two guys laying in the dirt, punching each other sloppily. Geese was on top, raining absolute hell from above... and Terry was happy to lay there and swing at Geese from the bottom. They were both getting lit up, neither one focused on projecting their facial features.

"Holy... god. I never expected this to happen." Andy exclaimed, his eyes wide, unable to look away.

"Heh heh. That's right, boys. Let it all out." Mary snickered.

They stopped punching, and Terry just snatched Geese's shirt and dragged him downward. They started rolling around on the ground, like two wild animals fighting for scraps. Were they even aware of what they were doing? Were they fueled by mindless, predatory instinct?

It didn't even matter. For two combat-hardened sworn enemies like these two... this was the ultimate therapy.

Finally, in some miraculous twist of fate, both men ended up back to their feet. Terry's t-shirt was completely ripped open; Geese's white gi was hanging around his waist.

The punches came once again. Terry lunged and decked Geese in the cheek; Geese took a step back, then came forward and gave Terry a proper thank you. Terry responded with a gift of his own; an uppercut to Geese's loose chin. Geese wobbled big time, but he managed to turn it into aggression with a spinning backfist that smacked Terry across the eye socket.

Both men thought the other was stunned; they both tried to come forward at the same time, with a right cross... and both took a clean shot to their respective faces.

This simultaneous hit allowed them a little... respite... as each trudged backwards to a safe distance to clear their heads and gaze upon each others' bloody mugs. It was more than a damage report; it was a moment of revelation for the both of them. Up to this point, Terry had only heard Geese speak of his newfound ambition... but now, he had seen it firsthand. Geese had made a believer out of him. Terry could feel it in his soul: this fight between them was like no other. It wasn't a fight to the death, it wasn't revenge... it was a man who wanted to win one last time, and the "hero" who stood in his way.

"Huff... huff... huff... how many more you got in you, Geese?!" Terry taunted, his body wrought with exhaustion.

"Huff... huff... heh heh... hehehehehehe... probably one. And it'll be all I need to crush you!" Geese reassured his rival.

Terry stood up straight, taking in all the remaining air his lungs could muster. "Then give me your best shot, and I'll give mine!"

And Geese obliged. He stepped forward, throwing his arm upwards with a blue trail of chi, as if preparing a Reppuken...

...But the Reppuken stayed dormant. Geese thrust his arm again...and again... and AGAIN...

"Ha ha! HAHAHAH! 2,3,4, FIVE, SIX...!"

Terry's eyes, the collective eyes of the entire Coliseum widened at the marvel of what Geese was producing.

"SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN! TWELVE! FOURTEEN!"

It was growing larger and larger, almost uncontrollably blazing where it stood. And Geese kept going, until finally...

"TWENTY!"

He had chained 20 Reppukens together into one. And there it stood before him, a monument to Geese's rage, his pure, unwavering courage, his limitless ambition. A huge, hulking, fear-inducing azure firestorm that roared and rampaged in all directions.

"OH..."

"MY..."

"GOD..."

Andy, Mai and Joe successively uttered those amazed words as they witnessed the truly catastrophic gathering of energy blazing in front of Geese.

"Oh hell no. TERRY, GET OUT OF THERE NOW!" Mary barked.

...But Terry stood still. He was well aware of the inferno of destruction before him. He knew it could probably wipe him from existence. But he had done this one too many times. There weren't many things Terry carried with faith in this twisted world, but he did have one creed he lived by:

As long as he lived, he would never. Ever. EVER. EVER BACK DOWN FROM GEESE.

"REPPUKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

Geese sent that blazing terror forward, the chi literally destroying the foundation of the Earth as it trailed towards Terry. The Bogard brother closed his eyes, smiling as if to accept his fate...

And he was swallowed whole.

"TERRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" the cry of their beloved brother and friend echoed on the lips of Terry's closest people, their screams so loud they could even be heard over that monstrous energy wreaking havoc on him.

"Oh god... oh god... I can't breathe..." Mary clutched her heart. She was hyperventilating. She collapsed backwards, thankfully managing to land on the stands. Her head slumped over, buried in her grasp, as she struggled back the tears... it was happening all over again...

In the combat zone... Geese's heart was in his throat. His mouth was wide open, hot breaths forcefully ejecting. His body felt like it was being microwaved from the inside... the feeling of disbelief. But why... why was he feeling this? Why is it such a surprise for Geese Howard to feel victory? He couldn't deny why... because the man he just beat was fated to always defeat him. It was a philosophy, a law, one that might as well have been engraved in stone: Geese was SUPPOSED to fall to Terry.

But if that was the case... could he breathe right now? Could he allow his muscles to loosen, allow the tension to fade? It this what victory against Terry Bogard felt like?

...No. He didn't know what it felt like. Because it was always fated to never happen.

"ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Those words followed a meteor shooting out from the smoke and smashing into Geese's stomach. He almost couldn't believe it... almost.

"BUSTER WOLF!"

Terry grinned as he raised a fist and brought it downward, unleashing all the chi left in his body in one last ferocious geyser of power to blow Geese away.

"TERRY! HE'S OKAY!" Andy screamed.

"He's... okay... hahaha..." the words were barely audible as they quietly passed Mary's trembling lips. If she ever needed a trial from God, that was it. That was all the assurance she needed to know her and Terry would be different...

"Mary? You crying?" Mai asked.

"Sniff... n-no. Shut up."

In the combat zone... everything had fallen silent. No more punches would be thrown, no more superpowered chi attacks unleashed. They had both spent EVERYTHING: every last molecule of offense their beings could muster. Their only fate was to sit there, on adjacent sides, full weight on their knees as their hands struggled to keep their bodies upright.

Terry's clothing was completely singed, save for his boxers. His hair was messed up. His face was swollen to hell, skin lightly toasted. And he was tired... so tired. Getting up would be an ordeal in itself... and he had to in order to be declared the winner.

Geese was in the same pickle. Although his clothing and appearance was mostly spared... his body was weighed down with two tons: one of pain and one of fatigue. He had nothing, not even the energy to pick his head up. It remained slumped over, his eyes forced to watch only the dirt at his knees.

"Huff... huff... huff... hufffff..."

This was the only noise, the only banter left these two could trade. The rest of the Coliseum went silent with them... perhaps as a sign of respect to these two warriors giving it everything they possibly had.

They waited... waited... waited... waited for the one who would rise up and be declared victorious.

"...That's all I had, Bogard. I'm done. I can't do anything else." Geese panted.

"Huff... yeah... join the club..." Terry replied.

At last, a sign of progress: they both managed to at least pick their heads up, and look into each others' eyes...

Terry nearly winced at the sight of Geese, staring at him... his eyes full of desperation. Geese looked so pathetic. He looked like a whimpering dog. He... he really wanted this.

"Geese. I swore I'd never lose to you." Terry growled.

"I swore I wouldn't lose this competition." Geese shot back. "I guess that puts us at an impasse."

"You're right... I guess it's up to who's tired enough to break their promise."

Geese grinned. "I'm probably there. How about you?"

Terry smirked. "Yeah. I'm pretty promise-breaking tired."

The jokes ended after that. Terry watched as Geese's face once again twisted, reverting back to that pained expression once again. He was so... ugh! So damn pathetic! He wasn't cocky, malicious, greedy, bloodthirsty, full of himself... he was just genuine. Disgustingly genuine.

"Bogard..." Geese softly muttered. "I have to win. I have to. This tournament... is all I have left. It's everything to me. EVERYTHING."

"...Then stand up."

A gasp rang out across the Coliseum as Terry hung his head low... and Geese struggled back up to his feet. When at last, he stood upright... Geese thrust his fist upwards in victory.

 **WINNER: GEESE HOWARD**

"Ha... ha ha ha... HAAA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Geese cackled. "I WON! I DEFEATED TERRY BOGARD! AHHHHHH! I'M GOING TO WIN THIS TOURNAMENT! I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL BREAK ANYONE'S NECK WHO TRIES TO STOP ME! THIS IS MY TOURNAMENT! MINE!"

The Coliseum's reaction to Geese beating Terry was powerful: a generous mixture of cheers, boos, and screams of genuine shock. If one was asked to measure which one was most prominent... it'd be an impossible feat.

As Terry sat there, slumped over on the ground, his body spent... he allowed a little grin to manifest. Could he have won? Yes. Did he allow Geese to win? No. But that didn't mean he couldn't smile about it. He was, after all, rooting for Geese.

 **Oh jesus, I'm tired. I hope my writing quality isn't reflected in my fatigue. Whew! That... was... a doozy. Okay, let the feedback begin. Love me. Hate me. Curse me. Praise me. I want to hear it all. ALL!**

 **YOUR FINAL 10 CONTESTANTS:**

 **1\. Kyo**

 **2\. Iori**

 **3\. Ash**

 **4\. K'**

 **5\. Athena**

 **6\. Leona**

 **7\. Dio**

 **8\. Hanzo**

 **9\. Yuki**

 **10\. Geese**

 **Next Chapter: Attack of the Clones! A montage to end all montages! This is where things really pick up!**


	30. Chapter 30: Trial Run

**I got one word for this chapter: montage. Think... uhh... well, my favorite example is one you've probably never heard of. Think "Tokyo Majin" when the heroes all get attacked by the Martial Fist assassins. Yeah, that's a good one. The scenes weren't really good, or vividly detailed, and nothing really HAPPENED... but yeah. So just think that. Lol.**

 **Also, I'm officially five chapters away from matching my all-time best. Six breaks the record.**

 **This story actually got a bit violent again. Viewer discretion advised.**

 **Oh, and I experimented a bit with that paragraph break thing. Hopefully you can keep up with the chaos this chapter. Enjoy!**

"Boss...you did it... you actually...!"

"I know, Billy. I was there.' Geese gave a cocky smirk.

Billy returned with a smile of his own. "Heh. Ain't no man can get in yer way now. Krauser's toast, Bogard's kablooey. Who can stop you, eh? Nobody!"

Geese patted his man's shoulder. "Damn right. Now let's get out of here. I think this calls for a celebration."

"Shall I call up Big?"

"...I guess. He does make things kinda lively. Ryuji can come too, if his mummified ass feels like it."

Meanwhile, Terry was finally regaining his air a little. He was resting comfortably on the ground, his legs stretched out so they wouldn't go numb. His friends and loved ones finally came: Andy, Joe, Mai, Mary.

"Bro? How do you feel?" Andy asked.

"Talk to us, babe." Mary urged.

Terry smiled. "I feel... not that bad, really. Haha. Geese beat me. But who really cares? It's just a stupid tournament. There's still plenty others out there."

"So you're not... you know... mad?" Andy asked, puzzled.

"Nah. Not really."

"Dude! GEESE BEAT YOU!" Mai squealed, trying to drill the concept into his head.

"I'm aware of that, Mai." Terry chuckled. "Look, will you guys just help me up already? I wanna go crash."

Mary knelt down and scooped up an arm. "As long as you're okay. No hospital? No... counselor?"

"Tch, stop joking." Terry retorted. "Look, I don't care. I'm not going to lose a wink of sleep over it, nor an ounce of my appetite. So just stop lamenting and be happy for Geese. This is his thing now. Not mine."

Perhaps it was just a hard pill to swallow for them... maybe they just hadn't progressed as much as Terry did. They weren't mentally, emotionally mature enough to live in a world where Geese claiming victory could be accepted. It would just take time... lots of time. Terry managed to evolve. Andy was halfway there. The rest of them would have to catch up...

"ATTENTION FINALISTS!" Chizuru announced. "I am inviting the final 10 to please join me tonight at Amore Sotto le Stelle Restaraunt for a special exclusive dinner. I worked it out with the owner; he'll let you eat and drink for free! There's no price limit on the wines either! Whatever bottle you ask for, they'll open it!"

Upon hearing this, King started steaming in her seat. "Lucky assholes..."

Joe was pretty miffed too. "Aw damn it! Guess I'm missing out on a kickass dinner..."

Mary playfully slapped Terry's shoulder. "Talk about a sucky time to lose."

Terry rolled his eyes, grinning. "Tch, I can get food from anywhere. Who needs that fancy, pricey crap?"

"ATHENAAAAAA! TAKE ME WITH YOU! PLEEEEEASE!" Kensou begged, literally kissing her feet. Athena wasn't much in the mood for his tomfoolery, so she just yanked free of his grasp and walked away.

Geese sighed. "Well Billy boy, I guess you'll have to do that party without me. Here's my room key. Don't tear the place up."

Billy winked as he put his finger through the loop, swirling Geese's keychain around. "Yes sir. I'll keep it in one piece, heh heh heh..."

"Geese! Can you come with me please? Thank you!" Chizuru dragged him away from his conversation.

"Agh! Take it easy on me! What do you want?" Geese grumbled.

Chizuru looked around a few times, before leaning in close. "I need you to work out dinner reservations with the owner."

"I thought you-"

"I haven't gotten around to it yet, okay? I need your powers of persuasion."

"Then let's go over there already. And since you're keeping me so busy, I'm sure you won't mind me using your place for a shower."

Chizuru groaned. "I was afraid you'd say that. Fine..."

"Okay then."

"And one more thing... congratulations on your victory." Chizuru smiled.

The two of them walked off from the Coliseum, looking like two bigwigs on important business. Anyone who looked at them knew not to question where they were going: just trust that it was far too important for their feeble minds to comprehend.

 **THAT EVENING...**

"Oh for the love of shit..."

Iori groaned as he crawled out of bed, forcing Leona's weight off of him as he reached for his cell phone. The blue haired girl rolled over and seemed to be still out of it.

"Hello?"

 _"Iori? It's Chizuru. We're at the restaraunt. Aren't you coming?"_

"Restaurant? The f*** you talking about?"

 _"I'll handle it, Chiz... hey, it's Kyo! Get your ass down here already! Don't you know you eat for free?"_

"Huh. Didn't know that."

 _"And where is Leona? Heidern's been making a fuss about her."_

"She's uh... she's with me..."

 _"Ah... uh... r-right. Well tell her she's invited too. And hurry up, we're already placing our orders!"_

"Who all's there?"

 _"Me, Chiz, Geese, Yuki, Athena, K. The others are a no-show."_

"You're sure that semen-haired freak isn't there?"

 _"Hehehe semen-haired freak what the f... no, Ash is not here. Take it easy."_

"...Hm. I guess I'll be down there then. Bye."

Iori hung up, tossed his phone aside, and turned to the sleeping beauty still snoozing in his bed. Her bathrobe was discarded on the carpet; she ended up stealing one of his t-shirts as well as a pair of boxers to avoid going back to her room.

"Leona. Hey. Captain Hardass." Iori whispered her name as he shook her repeatedly. "Wake UP!"

"Ungh... hmmm.. mmmnmmmn what..." she managed to half-stir.

"Wake up. We have to go have dinner."

"...Mm. Mmmnmmdon'tfeellikeit..."

"Well, I'm going. Go back to bed then."

"Ungmm... nmmm don't leave me..."

"Tough shit. I'm hungry."

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzz..."

With a shrug, Iori threw on some clothes and exited the hotel. Snuggling with Leona wasn't the worst thing in the world... but food was pretty damn good. Especially fancy Italian food.

* * *

The restaraunt was as disgustingly high-class as one could ever hope for. The decor was out of this world, music droning in the background to help soothe the customers' palettes. Robert frequented this place, which is probably why he wasn't as butthurt as Ryo about missing out.

"Miss Kagura, Mr. Howard. Here is the Brunello di Montalcino you requested."

"Thank you." Chizuru happily accepted the bottle. She wasted no time opening it, and filling both hers and Geese's glasses generously towards the top.

"TO THE FINAL 10!" she exclaimed, raising her glass high. Geese clinked his glass against hers, as they both took a nice swig of the vintage booze.

"Whoopdy f***ing doo." K' snarked, rolling his eyes as he took a bite of his ragu napoletano.

"And more importantly... no more f***ing Rugal clone!" Kyo exclaimed as he took a sip of his own cabernet he had picked out: Marchese Antioni Chianti Classico.

"What still puzzles me is... where could he have come from?" Chizuru pondered.

"I may have an answer to that, Miss Kagura." Yuki proclaimed. "You see, there was this guy in a labcoat me and Ai kept seeing. He showed up every time Rugal fought. I don't know if it was a coincidence or not but... we got some pictures of him."

"Brilliant time to tell us!" Geese grunted.

"Hey, I didn't want to alarm anybody. The tournament's stressful enough for you as is. Me and Ai are professionals, we have it handled."

"You know what? That's good. Because I honestly don't want to deal with it." Chizuru admitted. "Seriously, I'm done with any evil plots or murderous beings trying to ruin King of Fighters. From here on out, I just want this thing to go smooth."

"Hear hear." Kyo grinned, raising his glass.

At that precise moment, as soon as they got done talking about that headache... another one decided to show up.

"Sup bitches?"

This voice was courtesy of Iori himself, who plopped down at the table and immediately threw his elbows onto it.

"Iori. Nice of you to join us." Chizuru nodded.

"What we talkin about?"

"We were just DONE talking about how shit better go smooth from here on, or I'll start snapping people in half." Geese growled. "I've come too damn far to have my moment of glory spoiled."

"Let's uh... let's talk about something else." Chizuru tried to calm things down. "So who do you all want to fight in the quarterfinals?"

"ASH."

"ASH!"

"A-Ash..."

"I really don't give a shit who."

"Me either."

"Yeah, me either." Geese added. "I've pretty much beaten the only person I set out to avenge a loss to. I mean, I guess Krauser would have been good... but Miss Purple Hair over there handled that for me, WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Athena just continued to look down at her plate, giving off a strange vibe for a girl who was usually a bundle of sunshine and joy. She hadn't been very talkative all night; the only thing she did was respond to direct questions. The only thing that could break the ice was the brave initiative of a curious pryer.

...And pry one did.

"Hey! What's eatin you?" Geese opened casually. "I meant that as a compliment, just so you know. Thanks for kicking Krauser's ass!"

Athena looked up, then immediately back downward. "Th-thank you..."

"What's wrong Athena? Are you okay?" Chizuru asked, her voice full of almost maternal concern.

"I...I... I'm a fool." Athena mumbled. "I'm such a stupid, greedy, vain idiot...!"

"Whoa whoa whoa. Celebrity life getting to you?" K' teased.

"No! It was my... urrrgh! My fight with Krauser!" Athena exploded. "I... I had a choice to make, and I... gaah! I mucked it all up!"

"What do you mean? It was a good victory." Chizuru smiled.

"NO it was a horrible, horrible victory! Krauser should have smeared me against the asphalt!" Athena cursed, slamming her fist on the table. "But I ate the forbidden fruit, and now I'm stuck! I'm stuck with a stupid burden I didn't ask for!"

...Everyone was lost. Nobody knew what the hell she was talking about, therefore they were unable to console her when her face slammed against the table and sobs started coming.

"Oh... um... ahh... jeez..." Chizuru stammered, nervously fiddling with her hair.

"Must be the stress of getting this far." Geese shrugged. "The top isn't for everybody. I guess she's afraid of heights, hahahaha!"

"Shut up Geese. I should... take her back to the hotel."

"Just leave her. No need to ruin the dinner for everyone else."

"Geese!"

"N-no... sniff... he's right." Athena sniffled. "Just leave me... I'll find my way home... th-thank you all for the wonderful dinner! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Athena ran out of the restaraunt wailing, a rather sour note on this otherwise pleasant evening of celebration.

"...Must be her special time." K' casually blurted.

"Seriously, kid? Did you really go there?" Kyo scoffed.

"What? I'm immature. I don't give a f***."

 **PART 2: TRIAL RUN**

"...Something's wrong with me, Monseiur Lon."

These were the first words from Ash Crimson's mouth after he had spent 20 whole minutes just staring into a mirror, his face so blank it put stone to shame. Not one second had he looked away; he stared and stared into that parallel void, as if it contained the answer to the greatest mysteries of his existence.

"Gee, ya think?" Shen Woo laughed.

"Stop joking." Duo scolded him. "What do you mean?"

Ash continued to stare, even as he addressed his friends. "What I did to Betty today... I shouldn't have been able to do that. Why... why did it feel so... easy? I feel like I'm turning into something. Something... abnormal. Even by my standards."

"Well, have you thought more about that talk we had?" Duo asked.

"Yes." Ash nodded. "But my answer... I don't like my own answer. The truth is... it feels good. It feels so very good... and I don't know why. Have I become some sort of junkie? Am I getting high off the sensation of stealing what belongs to others? The Yata Mirror, the Yasakani Jewel... and Saiki..."

"Maybe it's changed you." Shen Woo added in his two cents.

"But how? Why? Why why why..." Ash muttered repeatedly to his own reflection. He inserted his own thumb between his teeth and bit down hard as he inquired this life-reflecting question.

"Perhaps... part of Saiki is still inside me? When he took over my body, then we were subsequently destroyed... maybe some semblance of him still resides in-"

"That's just a scapegoat and you know it." Duo Lon shot. "Don't make excuses, Ash."

Ash shook his head. "You're right. You're absolutely right. It's nobody else. Just me... I must own up to it..."

"Maybe it'd be easier to just admit you're a deranged kid." Shen Woo laughed.

"I'M NOT A MONSTER!" Ash yelled. "I still have feelings... DEEP... feelings... for Betty. And you're all my friends, too. Aren't you? Or perhaps you're all just scared of me!"

"We're not the ones who are afraid." Duo Lon replied. "Look deeper into that mirror. Tell me the person looking back doesn't terrify you."

"STOP BEING RIGHT!" Ash snapped, his eyes wide, quivering, twitching with madness as he clutched his head. "I... I... I am a terrifying person. I look into this mirror and I see emptiness... hidden by a pretty face. I...I... what am I?!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Shen Woo tried to calm. "You've just had a rough life."

"I have NOT had a rough life." Ash retorted. "Betty took care of me, pampered me, gave me love, gave me the world on a silver platter. Compared to others, I've lived like a king. And yet, here I am... and I just want to take, take, take. And Betty won't even look at me. GRAAAAAGH!"

At last, his anger boiled over; his eyes grew bloodshot as Ash brought his fist crashing into the mirror, smashing it so greatly that his reflection was naught but a distorted jigsaw puzzle. He continued to look...even then...

"Yeah, THIS is me. This is a proper representation." Ash snarled. "Chaos, anarchy, a big, jumbled abnormality wearing a face! I don't know if it's Saiki, or my bloodline, some cosmic force from a millennium ago, or just my own insanity... but I can't take this anymore."

"Well, do somethin." Shen Woo urged.

"I am doing something! I'm going for a walk outside! Maybe... maybe I'm just overthinking this whole thing. Maybe I'm just overstimulated. The cool air should help me find some tranquility tonight."

And with that, no more at peace with himself than when he started... Ash abandoned his suite and exited the hotel.

"That kid is clouded. Very clouded." Oswald casually mentioned.

"I feel bad for him. He did kinda save the world." Shen Woo shrugged. "What should we do? Maybe I should hit him really hard?"

Duo shook his head. "The kid's on a power high. He's become mad with it. The only thing that will bring him peace is to remember what's most precious to his heart. Something more important to him than all the power in the world."

 **OUTSIDE...**

The special dinner was over; the finalists who attended were all finding their own way back home. Most of them opted to walk, as it was a very beautiful night. Thankfully, the wine was enjoyed in moderation, so there'd be no major headaches in the morning.

"Taxi! Back to my hotel, please." Geese requested. "You coming, Chizuru?"

Chizuru played with her hair a bit, the tiniest bit of a blush forming on her cheeks. "I... ah... n-no! You go on ahead!"

Geese gave a disappointed roll of his eyes. "Fine... let's go."

As Geese's taxi sped off, Chizuru walked onward by herself. From here, to the time she finished her trek back to her own hotel room... her mind would be at unrest, wondering if she should've taken Geese's offer or not. At least it was a good night... quiet... peaceful...

 **WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHHH!**

Chizuru looked down; her feet were no longer planted on Earth. She must have been hundreds of yards in the air, her hair flying upwards all around her, her clothing nearly blowing off of her.

"WHAT THE HEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"

Confusion, shock, emotions caught up with her as she began to scream. Her descent, just as rapid as her flight, was a brutal one as she found herself on a collision course with the solid concrete. At the rate she was going, she's go kersplat... unless... gotta concentrate...!

Just before she hit the ground, she split into two and allowed an astral Chizuru to take the hit instead. That gave her just enough slowdown to survive the landing.

"Ooof! What the hell was that... wind...?!"

She got up, dusted herself off, straightened her hair, looked in all direction... but where could that have... THERE!

"...What... the..."

She tried to hold her jaw up, but it fell with utmost ease when she saw that figure emerge from the shadows. No... this couldn't be. She was there when it happened... but yet, there he was. Every disgusting detail in perfect shape: from his well-polished black boots to his royal blue attire... to his air of regality. And that smirk: that half-cocked, self-entitled little grin on his face. The same one he wore when he...

She looked into his face... and saw the devilish eyes of the man who murdered her sister.

"GOENITZ?!"

The man said nothing; a smug smile and a snap of his finger produced a terrifying whirlwind that tore through Chizuru, blasting her backwards until she slammed into a nearby streetlight. The pole was totaled, denting inwards until it collapsed.

"Ooof! You son of a bitch... I'll send you back to Hell!" Chizuru spat as she sprang up with a vengeance.

* * *

"Don't walk with me, Kyo."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to be around you right now. Not after you drank. You might try to f*** me or something."

"You're not serious."

"Yes I am! Now go find another street!"

"Gah... fine. Paranoid idiot."

That usual exchange marked the end of Iori and Kyo's night together, as they went their separate ways to go to the same destination.

"I swear, that f***ing guy needs an instruction manual on how his mind works..." Kyo grumbled to himself as he trudged down the street, hands in pockets. Ah well... not having Iori around to bitch in his ear was a boon, not a misfortune. Now he could get some peace and quiet, at least.

...At least that's what he thought. As he kept walking, he looked down at the shadows... and something wasn't adding up. The moonlight wasn't hitting those spots like they should: almost like something was lying there in wait.

Was he just paranoid? Kyo tried to shake it aside and walk on... but he could have swore those shadows were closing in on him. Each step, his skin began to break out, his heart raced more and more... finally he lost it.

"WHO THE HELL IS FOLLOWING ME?! IORI!" Kyo screamed.

...But when he saw who it was, he would have wished for his red-haired rival.

"What the... how the hell are you guys here?"

He looked to his left; he looked to his right. Both sides contained a familiar assailant coming towards him: one male, one female. The male was tall in stature, tan skin, snow-white hair. The female: a pink dress, auburn bangs covering her face, only revealing her mischievous little smile.

If those two were here, then there must have been a third guy... behind him!

Kyo swung around, just in time for the youngest looking kid of the bunch to throw a surprise kick towards his face.

"God damn!' Kyo cursed as he swayed backwards. But he knew he still had two in the rear; he spun around, and the powerful leg of Yashiro slammed into his torso and sent Kyo flying backwards into an alley.

"Arghh! Dammit, this can't be happening...!" Kyo vocally expressed his disbelief. He knew these three were dead... and their master was dead. If they were alive again, could that be some ominous sign of bad things? Could Orochi be among them again?!

Getting back up, Kyo brought his fists close, flames sprouting from each knuckle, as Yashiro, Chris, and Shermie closed in on him with murderous eyes...

* * *

Iori was much happier walking by himself. He didn't want to look at Kyo's face for an extended period, which would put him in a bad mood. Admittedly (and he would admit this to NO one), he hoped Leona was still in his hotel room; her company was rather pleasant, all things considered.

As Iori was thinking about such things... he would have company a lot sooner: before he even reached the hotel again. This company came in the form of two shadowy figures, closing in quickly. He noticed them immediately, and purple flames sprouted with no hesitation.

"Who's there?!"

Iori's eyes started off wide at first... but as he saw the two figures come more and more into view, their appearance more familiar with each second... his defensive expression faded and was replaced by one of sheer annoyance. As soon as he saw their high-heeled shoes, their fancy black, red and white dresses, their dolled-up faces, ruby red lipstick, their respective red and blonde heads... there was nothing left to surprise him.

"Great... what do you two undead skanks want?" he snorted with a roll of his eyes.

What DID surprise Iori, was Mature and Vice's hostility and aggression towards him. Before banter was even exchanged, Mature lunged at him and slashed the fabric on his shoulder clean off. Only Iori's timely backpedaling allowed him to avoid getting his flesh ripped open by her hellish talons.

"What the hell! This is one of my favorite tops!" Iori growled.

Mature lunged in again with a deep slash; Iori leaped out of the way of it, but Vice snuck up behind him and seized his neck.

"Hngh?!"

With her extraordinary strength, Vice lifted him high and threw him effortlessly. The red-haired man grunted as he soared into a brick wall, impacting hard and plopping to the ground.

"Agh! Arghhh... alright, you bitches are f***ing DEAD!"

* * *

K' was actually taken out of his comfort zone for once when the lone figure before him approached. He was barely discernible, mainly thanks to his sleek black cloak that rose so high it obscured even his face... but when K' saw that platinum hair, the same as his own... he knew his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

"You're... but how...?"

Krizalid wasn't in the mood for words; he immediately sprang into action, spinning around to gather momentum for a huge kick. It flew fast and hard, but K' managed to fluidly dodge it by sliding backwards. But Krizalid continued his aggression, leaping into the air to descend on K' with an additional kick from up high. This aerial attack smacked K's forearm, not hurting him, but stumbling him backwards enough that his back hit a wall.

"Shit..." K' cursed to himself as he observed his surroundings; these were cramped quarters for his fighting style to be effective. If only he could lure Krizalid into the open, so he could move properly...!

Krizalid charged forward and attacked again; the sole of his boot drove hard into K's stomach, the kid lacking proper room to dodge it. He took it clean, slumping to his knees in agony.

"Agh... ahh...!"

Krizalid showed no mercy to his downed opponent; he started kicking K' repeatedly, almost to the extent of curb stomping him. Over and over, his foot kept slamming into K' as the boy lay there, curled up, like a dog's corpse on the roadside.

"Ngh! Grr... no more...!"

K' caught Krizalid's leg, using it as leverage to pull himself back upwards. With a retaliatory scream, he drew his arm back and slammed an elbow into his old enemy's face, splitting the bridge of his nose open. Krizalid stumbled backwards... but there was no yelp. No grunt of any kind. It was as if... he hadn't even felt it.

That counter created some distance, giving K' the chance to finally regain himself. The two familiar foes stared each other down, K' growling as he felt embers brew all over his body.

...But the more he looked into Krizalid's eyes, the more unsettled he got. What was looking back at him was... empty.

* * *

Chris set him up from behind, plowing into his back with a jumping kick. As Kyo stumbled forward, Yashiro knocked him like a pinball with a powerful thrust kick, sending him towards Shermie... who went airborne to clamp her legs around his neck and slam him to the ground with a vicious frankensteiner.

Kyo angrily pried her legs loose and got back up. He felt his temper flaring up, and his flames alongside him. These three ghosts... coming back to haunt him! This was a sick joke. Orochi was long gone... so should they!

Kyo checked a low kick from Yashiro and was able to react in time to deck Chris in the face just as the boy charged in. Shermie came at him from the left; Kyo spun around and went low, slamming his fist into her pelvis and folding her inwards.

As Shermie collapsed to the ground, Yashiro came forward with a flurry of kicks. His footwork was impressive: he threw high, then swiftly pirouetted and switched feet to throw another kick behind it. He did this repeatedly, constantly shifting feet with each kick.

Kyo rolled his eyes, having just about enough of this nonsense. Blazing terror spiraled around his fist as he took a deep lunge and drove it right into Yashiro's beautiful abs... and Kyo was surprised by his own power. His fist actually went THROUGH Yashiro, emerging clean out the other end.

"What the...?"

Kyo's eyebrow shot up as Yashiro slumped to the ground like his "OFF" switch was flipped. He lay there, lifeless, his eyes still wide open, a blank expression on his dead face.

It was odd that, out of all the messed up things he had seen in his life, THIS caused an outbreak of goosebumps to spread across his flesh. Something was very wrong here; these three were supposed to be long dead anyway! But as Kyo stood there and re-killed Yashiro... he didn't die like a man dies. It was so... unnatural.

Shermie was the next to fall. She came in way too fast, attempting to clinch with Kyo and work her magic on him. Kyo was able to reverse her just as she plowed into him, slamming her into a nearby wall and stunning her long enough for the kill.

"RRAH!" Kyo roared as he slammed the sole of his shoe into Shermie's face, smooshing her head against solid brick. He could hear her skull crunching, and then... the thud of her body hitting the ground. There was no cry of pain. No death rattle. She just... ceased to act.

Now for Chris.

The boy was actually quite fast: the fastest of the three. He rushed in and caught Kyo deep in the chest with an extended elbow, the boy's motion so fast it left an after-image behind him. But as speedy as Chris was... he was no match for Kyo tonight. Kyo was half drunk. He was pissed off. He wanted to go to bed already.

A flaming uppercut caught Chris on the chin, sending the boy flying so far he actually somersaulted before hitting the ground hard. His return to his feet was incredibly slow... and Kyo had all the time in the world to end this. He ended it just as clean as he had ended any other threat: a blow of searing, scorching power, enveloping Chris in the Kusanagi inferno with a single thrust of Kyo's hand to his chest.

The combustion blew Chris backwards... and his body was charred beyond recognition before he even hit the ground.

Kyo scanned all three of them, making sure each one wouldn't get back up. When he was certain they were dead... he finally allowed himself to start questioning what the hell was going on here. How did three dead people suddenly come back? Well... okay... maybe that's not so far fetched. Mature and Vice did it with ease. Did that mean Yashiro, Shermie, Chris were capable of coming back at will too? In that case, where the hell have they been this whole time?

Kyo shook his head as he slipped hands into pockets and walked away, too puzzled by the swirling torrent of questions plaguing his fatigued brain. He just wanted bed. Screw all these mysteries.

* * *

Vice took a big step forward and swung her leg wide, throwing a huge horizontal kick that could cleave a tree at the base with her slashing power. Luckily, Iori was faster than a tree. It still cut a huge hole in his shirt, however, as he came too damn close to not dodging that one.

Before Iori could even swallow the spit in his throat, Mature was on him with claws that would put a certain nightmare-dwelling serial killer to shame. Iori ducked a decapitating blow, then had to quickly sway backwards to avoid a second swipe from those blood-seekers.

"You two never seemed like the vengeful type. Then I again, I guess I deserve it more than anyone else you've ever met."

Mature raised both hands above her head and came down on Iori with a two-pronged swipe. Iori smoothly shuffled backwards, spinning around and throwing a kick to her midsection to halt her offense.

"Aren't you gonna say anything at least? I just wanna know. Why now, of all times? You two f***ing specters have had plenty of chances to kill me. So why NOW?!"

Vice leaped on his back and, in seconds, had him in a body triangle. Her legs were locked around his waist, one foot tucked under her other knee to make prying her off a pain.

"Ngh! Get off you bitch-aggghhkkkk...!"

Vice snaked her arms around his neck and squeezed. Her power was so immense, so CRUSHING... Iori's neck could have popped any second.

Fortunately for Iori, Vice was just holding him there. No... his real death would come at the hands of Mature, who was approaching with her weaponized hands bared. One slice... his insides would spill out, his skin would turn mayonnaise-white, and Iori Yagami would be no more. Mature allowed herself a slight moment to enjoy this revelation, as her tongue slithered eerily across her lips.

Iori was getting desperate. He frantically pulled on the arms around his neck, disregarding the fact that her legs were locked around his waist. He was panicking; there had to be some way... he didn't want to die yet! Sure he was an asshole with cursed blood, and the world would be a better place without him... but he was still young. He had his whole life ahead of him. People to meet, asses to kick, music to play, groupies to f***. And of course, plenty of enemies to make.

Iori looked to his left: brick wall. It was such a cliche to do this... but it might actually save his life.

Iori pushed off with his feet to get his body moving, until he was uncontrollably stumbling backwards, carrying Vice's weight on his back. He went backwards... backward... until...

THUD.

Vice's head smashed against the solid object; her grip loosened and her body slumped to the floor. Iori wasn't sure if he killed her with that, but he had no time to check; Mature was coming at him.

The blonde woman pounced like a panther, coming down on Iori with a wild swipe from her left hand. Iori smoothly sidestepped it, and Mature spun around with a violent backhanded slash. Iori swayed his head... and spotted a fatal opening. The woman had all but offered herself to him.

With no remorse in his cold heart, Iori bared his claws and slashed her throat open. Mature went down... but something was wrong. She had no expression. Her eyes were unchanging, not even a ragged rasp from her lungs. She just... fell over. The gash on her throat expelled her life essence all over the asphalt... and her eyes still showed not a care.

"What the f..."

Before Iori could finish his rhetorical question, Vice's foot crashed into his chest and knocked him backwards into the same wall he slammed her into. In a flash, the script was flipped: Iori's back was now against the wall, Vice closing in on him with a deranged smile.

"Enough of this shit."

At the apex of Vice closing distance, Iori reached out and grabbed her face, his palm smothering her as his fingers squeezed into the soft flesh of her cheeks and temple. He held her there, preventing her body from making any further advances.

His eyes were ruthless as the smoke began to rise from her limbs... purple embers spawned, growing larger, creeping up her skin from bottom to top until they glowed bright and hot. They continued to travel up, enveloping the rest of her midsection until they crept up the neck, and finally... her whole head.

Iori held her there as the flesh melted from her bones, her hair dissolving to smoldering remains. Her eyes remained static as they were the next to turn to a bubbling goo, leaking from her eye sockets, followed by her very skull crumbling to ash.

In a matter of seconds, Vice was a pile of burnt refuse at his feet.

Iori ran a hand through his hair. He took a long, LONG sigh... well, that was over. How was he even supposed to feel abo-

...Great, Mature was back up. He'd have to hold that thought. Obviously the woman still had a dying breath left to curse his name with.

This time, Iori left nothing to skepticism. As soon as Mature swung at him, he swayed his head and rammed his hand through her stomach. A second hand followed, until he was wrist-deep in her insides. Mature froze up, her body unable to act, unable to make any more offensive or defensive motions. She could only stare forward, into Iori's eyes... completely blank.

With one mighty tug, Iori tore his hands free of her stomach, spilling whatever contents desired to escape from the hole in her midsection. This time, Mature went down and didn't get back up.

NOW he was allowed to have a conscience. Iori took a step back, gazing down below at the remains of what used to be two very... complicated women in his life. All he could ask himself right now was... why? Sure, he wouldn't argue that he deserved to die at their hands. They had every reason to want to. But something didn't feel right... Iori never thought it would go this way. Was that really how their dirty laundry would air? After all this time, is THIS what Mature and Vice had been building up to?

"...This is bullshit." Iori cursed into the night as he walked away, anger and denial already taking its toll.

 **I really don't want to break this into two halves but... heh heh. It feels too perfect. Just like your favorite annoying anime, you'll have to tune in next week to see how it all plays out. I just love this.**

 **I intentionally didn't put who said who at the dinner table when Chizuru asked who they want to fight. You should be able to deduce them all on your own lol.**

 **NEXT CHAPTER: Who will survive? Will the grand mystery of the walking dead be revealed? Find out next time, on: KING OF FIGHTERS ULTIMATE GRAND DREAM KUMITE!**


	31. Chapter 31: Trial Run pt 2

**Hey. Here's some plot. THE plot, to be exact. Whatever deep, intricate, devious, dubious conspiracy you expected to emerge in this story, this is it. I swear. This is the plot.**

 **If you can get past this chapter, your lives will be a lot easier from here on. Promise : )**

The man in the white labcoat was freaking out. High atop a building, optical equipment in hand, he had just witnessed the deaths of five prototypes. He knew he needed to report this... but his hand was trembling so uncontrollably he could barely reach his communicator.

Finally, through an extraordinary burst of courage, he took a deep gulp... and made the call.

"S-SIR! MASTER!"

 _"Why do you disturb me?"_

"Th-the prototypes... f-five have already fallen!"

 _"...Which ones?"_

"The Hakkeshu! Only Goenitz remains!"

 _"I see... very well then."_

"P-please forgive me master. A thousand pardons! Th-they just weren't ready yet. I-I should have ran more tes-"

 _"Hahaha... no use in kissing up to me. I'm not the one you should be scared of."_

"M-Master? I don't underst-"

 _"Silence! There's no need to keep making reports to me about everything. Goodbye, and do not disturb me again."_

"But what should I d-"

 _"Wait and see what happens. If they all fall, no big deal. We'll make more. Return to HQ and MAKE SURE YOU'RE NOT SPOTTED. I don't need to remind you why."_

"...Yes sir. Goodbye."

The labcoat-clad man hung up and let out a huge breath. Admittedly, he was lost at what emotions were bubbling inside him. His master was... an odd one. Cold, calculating, intimidating... but his mind always seemed elsewhere, like he wasn't committed to things. Like he didn't care about leading this operation.

The man shook aside these thoughts quickly; the last thing he needed were idle ones. He never knew what his master was talking about, but as far as he knew, he could be killed at a moment's notice. What a way to keep one's employees in line.

* * *

Another concentrated blast of wind ripped through Chizuru, blowing her backwards against the asphalt once again. Ragged, labored breaths wheezed as she struggled to regain her footing. Her clothes were reduced to tatters from the slicing gale winds, very little left to the imagination of what Chizuru's body looked like under her usual outfit. Her hair was a complete mess, frizzled in all directions. She felt like a wreck.

The only incentive that could keep her going forward were two things: the desire to kill Goenitz with her own hands... and to take a shower and crash in bed. She wanted this over... so very badly. She wanted to live. She wanted to wake up to see tomorrow. This was NOT how she wanted things to play out: with Goenitz claiming sister #2.

To think... she could probably be in Geese's cozy suite right now. Maybe this was fate's way of saying she chose wrong.

Goenitz kept his hand stretched outwards, where he produced furious gusts at will that shot forward like a cannon. They were tight, compressed blasts: a direct hit from one could probably rupture organs.

Chizuru teleported through them slowly... diligently... carefully working her way up to him. Goenitz kept them coming, one after the other... but every time his air blast was sure to hit, only an after-image of Chizuru was left behind to take it.

FINALLY... Chizuru got close. Wasting no time, she rocketed forward, leaving a trail of after-images behind her as her elbow drove deep into Goenitz's sternum. She could feel the bone snapping, hear the sickening crack... the blood spewed from his lips, staining his beard as he flew backwards until he hit a wall. Upon impact, his neck bent awkwardly, a second snap resonating in the night as his neck now faced north and his head south.

Goenitz slumped to the ground without a word... a maniacal grin still plastered on his face.

"I... I did it... hahaha... Maki..."

The last conscious gesture Chizuru made was... a smile. A huge, wide, muscle-straining, white-shining, expression of pure glee. She had no idea why Goenitz was suddenly alive again. She wasn't sure if he was real, if this was reality or a dream. But she didn't care. This was closure. Her sister was watching her from above... and Chizuru could only imagine the tears of joy in her eyes upon witnessing her sister avenge her death after all this time.

That smile never left Chizuru's lips, even as she collapsed to the ground.

"MISS KAGURA!"

Yuki approached rapidly, nearly diving at the solid ground to scoop Chizuru up in his arms. He lightly slapped her cheek, attempting to return her to the world of the conscious.

"Chizuru... CHIZURU!"

Yuki clenched his teeth, stifling a curse... no, he had to remain composed. Always composed in the face of adversity. That's what made him a hero. That's what made him the best.

Keeping a cool head, Yuki whipped out his cell phone and hit a single button; the receiver was always on speed dial.

 **YUKI AND AI'S ROOM**

"C-cmon! Agh.. shit! DO THE STUPID MOVE I'M TELLING YOU TO DO!"

Ai was currently raging at Art of Fighting, mainly because of the horrid controls that stifled her ability to do special moves. She had just gotten her ass kicked by Mr. Karate for the tenth time when...

"Ah! Damn it, who's calling me now..."

Ai glanced away for a split second: Yuki.

"Oh great, he's probably drunk and needs help..."

With a sigh, Ai allowed the 10-count to count down to Game Over. She grabbed her phone and pressed the green button.

"Yuki. What is it?"

 _"Ai! Lock on to my location and get here ASAP!"_

"Wh-what's wrong?"

 _"...Multiple contacts."_

"...I'll be right there."

* * *

Their legs clashed in mid-air, both emblazoned with bestowed fire, producing an explosion that blew both of them backwards. K' tumbled a few feet across the ground; Krizalid merely skidded on his feet a bit and stayed upright.

K' leaped back up and ran for it. He wasn't retreating; he just needed to get out of this alley and into open street. Thankfully, despite Krizalid pursuing close behind, his sudden ploy succeeded.

Now he could really heat things up.

K' phase-shifted forward and met Krizalid's body with solid shinbone. Krizalid absorbed it, and fired back with his own body kick. K' could barely believe his own weakness; Krizalid knocked him down with ease!

"God... f***ing...!"

K' rolled backwards and sprang back up, but Krizalid was already on him again. K' could barely lift his forearm in time to block the next roundhouse, and it sent him stumbling backwards. He tried to roll with it, spinning around 360 and letting his foot fly desperately towards Krizalid's head. His fellow "Kyo clone" ducked it rather easily and took out K's left leg with a sweep kick. He smoothly spun around, coming high with another kick... this one with a flaming cherry on top.

K' felt his world shift to the right as his head was sent sideways, followed by the rest of his body stumbling drunkenly in that direction. He had to do a cartwheel just to keep himself upright and maintain distance.

K' rubbed his jaw a few times... but was no less encouraged. He wasted no time getting in Krizalid's face once again and pumping two jabs in his eye. Krizalid tried to return with a flaming straight left, but K' ducked and rammed his forearm into Krizalid's ribs. This one backed him up a little. K' smiled; now HE was coming forward.

Krizalid lunged and threw a sharp knee to K's stomach. K' had to play through the pain... but Krizalid was right where he wanted him. A rather uncanny move, K' lowered his arm until the tip of his elbow was aiming upwards. All at once, he brought his elbow swinging north, the tip smashing underneath Krizalid's chin so hard, his teeth actually crunched together and flew out in tiny white particles.

Krizalid was sputtering blood, most of which ended up in his cloak since it obscured the lower half of his face. However, that situation was soon removed altogether... K' knew Krizalid was getting mad as his body began to heat up, flames erupting until his form was completely swallowed in an orange blaze. In an instant, his cloak was gone... and K' could see the full extent of Krizalid's now bloody face, as well as the rest of his muscular form. He looked just the same as when they fought long ago... but something still felt odd. Krizalid had yet to say a word.

* * *

The ninja Hanzo Hattori was high atop a building, witnessing everything go down in the city below. His sharp eyesight captured everything: Iori and Kyo finishing off the Hakkeshu, Chizuru's vengeance against Goenitz, K' locked in a fierce battle with his fellow clone. A few streets down, Ash was wandering on his own; Athena wasn't too far away either. Assailants were closing in on them...

Should he interfere? He wasn't even from this time period, so it really wasn't his problem. Nonetheless, Hanzo's natural sense of virtue was starting to overpower his indifference...

...Unfortunately, he had his own problems at that moment.

"HANZO! I CHALLENGE YOU!"

Following those words, a duo of red shuriken, similar to his own blue ones, flew at him with gusto. Hanzo jumped at the precise moment they would have struck him, and the projectiles hit the roof instead.

As Hanzo touched down once again, his opponent landed on the same roof, right in front of him. Immediately, he recognized his eternal rival: a red ninja outfit opposite of his blue, a wild lion's mane of fiery red hair... and a cocky smile on his face contrasting Hanzo's icy-cold disposition.

Yes, he was the one: the one who would transcend time itself to prove his clan was superior to Hanzo's.

"Fuuma. Are you a clone too?" Hanzo asked, getting into stance.

"Clone? What the hell are you talking about? I've come to take your spot in the tournament!" Fuuma retorted.

Hanzo allowed himself a tiny grin. "Then let us settle things like we always do. With steel!"

* * *

If the cool air was supposed to bring solace to Ash, it wasn't working. Turmoil still engulfed his mind, swirling around his cranial walls, endlessly in chaotic motion. He tried to breathe... just close his eyes and breathe... but he found himself unable to calm down. He was so restless; body parts were moving unconsciously, without restraint. even his eyes unable to stop quivering. Was he... losing his mind?

The Yata Mirror. The Yasakani Jewel. Saiki. Where would it end? He had tasted the sweetness of avarice, and found that he now had a hunger unable to be sated. Regardless of what his original intentions were he... wait. What WERE his intentions? Why... why did he want power?

...It didn't matter anymore. Ash Crimson was already lost. He knew it.

"Hmm? Who's there?"

Ash turned around to pinpoint the source stalking him; his eyes widened when he saw three shadows come into light. One, of a large, barbaric looking man. The other: a slender, long haired man... with a body type VERY similar to his.

"Is... is that...?!"

Once they got close enough... it was undeniable. Ash literally gasped: he was standing in front of him, flesh and bone! That same white outfit, long platinum blonde hair... and that face. A face devoid of compassion. A face that desired the destruction and rebirth of the world.

"Impossible! IMPOSSIBLE!" Ash screamed the words twice without even meaning to.

At Saiki's side was another familiar foe: charcoal skin, contrasting with hair white as snow. His huge, muscular frame could still be seen rippling through his dark pigment. A warrior who commanded the very Earth... Mukai.

The only one not ground level was a female figure, standing atop a light pole. Her balance was quite well; she was able to stand there perfectly with her arms folded, not at all struggling to remain stable. She just folded her arms... and stared at him. Eyes cold, emotionless... her lips curled downwards.

Ash rolled his eyes upon seeing her. Indigo bob cut, blue crop top, short shorts... weird fur thing. He knew it was Botan, the most harmless of the bunch. She had a mouth on her and tried to be creepy, like Saiki... but Ash was never afraid of her. She was actually the most fun to tease, since she had tried to come off as an intimidating figure and carry Saiki's will. Any time she had tried to boss Ash around, he merely laughed in her face.

"How are you here?" Ash questioned. "Back from the dead to haunt me or something?"

All three of them said nothing.

Ash quickly abandoned his shock, making room for his usual sass to take over. "I've gotten everything I needed from you, Saiki. You have no business existing any further. Same goes for you, Mukai. So much muscle, so little brains."

Saiki and Mukai's faces didn't change. It was odd; it didn't feel like they were unfazed by Ash's remarks... it felt like they didn't even HEAR it in the first place. They were almost like... zombies, incapable of coherence. Ash was starting to buy into that theory.

"Nothing to say? Very well then." Ash smirked. "I'll just do you a favor and send you back to your graves."

Saiki made the first move, extending his hand and launching a pitch-black fireball. It soared towards Ash fast and on-target... but Ash was barely worried.

"Hmph." with a wave of his hand, Ash sprouted a trail of green fire that snuffed out the fireball upon impact. He was actually surprised by how... weak it was. If this was indeed Saiki, he was obviously not 100 percent.

Mukai took a giant stomp, unleashing a trail of solid rock pillars that sprouted towards Ash, while Saiki finally sprang into action. As Ash leaped out of the way of the long-range attack, Saiki teleported right in front of him and threw a high kick. Ash swatted his foot aside and kicked him in the shin, buckling his leg and throwing him off long enough to follow up with a spinning kick to his face. Saiki was knocked aside quite easily, from Ash's flame-fueled kick.

Mukai stomped the Earth once again, causing two pillars to shoot upwards from the ground. He leaped high and threw a flashy, exhibition kick to send the two pillars soaring towards Ash like heat-seeking missiles. With their impressive size and mass, they were sure to crush the petite boy.

Ash maintained his calm and launched two fireballs, destroying the boulders mid-flight and causing a hailstorm of pebbles. He swung to the left: Saiki closed in on him with his foot, searing with black fire as he threw a roundhouse, then spun around upon whiffing and followed through with a leaping roundhouse behind it.

That second one came close to singing Ash's hairs, but the boy was simply too fast and was able to counter Saiki hard with a sharp body blow. His fist blazed green as he thrust it into Saiki's stomach and activated a fireball, causing a short-range combustion that exploded like a live grenade and sent Saiki soaring backwards until a solid object stopped him.

On top of all of this... Botan didn't move a muscle. She remained there, quiet, unmoving, vigilant... as if she was a mere statue looking down on them from up high.

* * *

"URGH!" K' growled with pain as Krizalid's leg collided with his bicep. A few more of those could fracture his arm..

K' acted fast; before Krizalid could bring his leg back, K' threw his arms around it and held it there. Keeping it tucked under one arm, K' twisted and smacked Krizalid clean in the face with a backfist, the clone unable to block it.

K' followed up by throwing a short, stomping kick to Krizalid's one stationary leg, causing him to collapse to the ground. As soon as he hit the ground, K' pounced on him like a lion on a steak; he started punching Krizalid in the face as hard as possible with his red-gloved hand, fire and fury empowering his every blow.

...But Krizalid's face didn't even change as he took them. Each punch snapped his head sideways, caved his cheek inwards, snapped his jaw out of place... but Krizalid just didn't care.

Finally, K' started to slow down... he had punched himself out unleashing fury on Krizalid's face, lactic acid building up in his muscles, causing them to feel three times as heavy... and Krizalid easily turned the tables.

Grabbing K' by the skull, Krizalid stood the two of them up and pounded K' with a short-range punch. As K' fell to the ground, a knee to his stomach further encouraged him to fall down. As K' hit the concrete... Krizalid grabbed his hair and stood him back up.

K' was seeing double already... but a knee to his face caused him to see quadruple. As his world spun around and around, images appearing in abnormal places... he could feel his body fly backwards, courtesy of a spinning kick to the stomach. The next thing he knew, he was on his back, looking up at a night sky with a distorted moon.

By the time Krizalid snatched him up by the shirt, K's eyesight had returned. His eyes were met by that of his clone... and he could see every gruesome detail of their battle. Krizalid's teeth were nearly gone, blood pouring from his loosened jaw. His left eye was completely red, nearly popping out of the socket from the multiple times K' had punched him there.

But as gross as it was... the most disturbing thing was Krizalid's indifference.

"What... cough cough cough... are... you...?" K' choked out.

...K' would never get his answer. Following those words, a huge gush of blood spurted from Krizalid's chest, painting K's face and chest with his clone's essence. Krizalid's grip loosened, allowing K' back to his feet, so he could stumble backwards and get a better angle of what the hell had happened.

"What..?!"

Krizalid was hanging there, his body wriggling, flailing like a dying worm on a hook. A bladed appendage impaled through his heart, bathed in red as more of it seeped down Krizalid's body and stained the darkness of the street. K' couldn't get a glimpse of who was behind him, as Krizalid was too big; he could only see the cause of death, as it was sticking out of Krizalid's chest plain as day.

Finally, the lethal object dislodged itself and allowed Krizalid to slump to the ground, the deadly adversary breathing his last.

"Heh heh... just look at you. Am I supposed to be modeled after something so pathetic? I don't believe it."

As K' struggled to his feet, a scowl was already on his face. It was clear now who was in front of him: he recognized this asshole better than anyone. Blue hair...that stupid, STUPID costume. Who the hell decided on THAT for a Kyo clone to wear? He looked like that kid from... that movie. The one from 1980... something. A loud yellow top, blue pants... that tacky red cape that appeared and disappeared at will. This guy was almost, ALMOST forgotten... but somewhere, in the deepest recesses of K's mind... a modicum of his psyche had never been lain to rest over this guy. He knew this day would come again.

"You... saved me. Why?" K' grunted.

"Obviously, you needed it." K9999 grinned, that stupid shit-eating grin K' remembered so fondly. "I'm not gonna let someone else claim you, obviously. I was hoping you'd be able to take care of yourself, though. Heh... what a shame. After all this time I've spent waiting..."

"Waiting?" K' snorted. "Is that what you call it? I thought you faded to oblivion from being so worthless and forgotten."

"You're the one that deserves the trash can." K9999 snapped back. "Just look at you! You couldn't even handle a mindless dummy! Look at this thing, laying here... if you had even a grain of competence, you should've mopped the floor with our predecessor."

"He caught me off guard." K' growled. "He's supposed to be-"

"You're just weak." K9999 interrupted. "You have no drive, K'. You have nothing to fight for. You don't seek power, pride, status, glory... you're just a walking corpse. You don't deserve to have ever had that power bestowed to you!"

"THIS IS MY OWN POWER! NOBODY ELSE'S!" K' exploded, a literal combustion of flames sprouting from his feet upon booming those words.

"Heh heh heh... hahahahahaha! Look at you, getting all worked up. And here I thought you should have had the ice girl's powers." K9999 smirked. "I guess you really are a fire dude."

"Just shut up." K' responded, quieting back down to normal volume, his flames dying back down. "Tell me what you're here for, after all this time. Are you here to settle the score? Because I'll happily oblige."

As K' started to get into stance, K9999 merely shook his head and grinned wider.

"No no no! I'm not fighting you, you pathetic imitation. Heh... you know, I used to hate you so much... I used to think you were in my way, an obstacle to my validation, my purpose, my identity. But now, I have nothing to fear from you... because I know I'm stronger. I know I'm smarter. I can be REAL... realer than you. Realer than Kyo."

"The day you're real is the day I die by your hand." K' challenged. "If you wanna try it, that's fine with me. I'll send you to go join the rest of those NESTS assholes that f***ed up my life."

"Tell you what... I'll make you a deal." K9999 smirked, folding his arms. "Defeat Kyo. Win the tournament. Prove to me that you are worth the air you breathe, and then maybe... maybe I'll deem you worthy of dying by my hand. Heh, but as you are right now... I wouldn't even waste a thrust of my arm. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"...Wait for me then." K' assured, thrusting his finger. "I will beat Kyo. I WILL win the tournament. And you'll finally get what you deserve, you little creep. WAIT FOR ME."

K9999 flashed his teeth. "Deal."

* * *

Ash seized Saiki by the neck, holding him effortlessly in place despite his flailing, protesting limbs. As Mukai tried to rush Ash from behind, the boy merely extended his leg backwards and kicked him aside.

"You're not the real Saiki." Ash hissed, a sadistic grin on his lips. "Neither of you are real. You're a couple of broken toys."

Ash's grin widened as he drew his free arm back and pressed it against Saiki's chest. The man who was once Ash's ancestor merely stared at him blankly as smoke began to leak from his body. Ash held him there, not once looking away as his hand grew hotter and hotter...

Before long, Saiki's entire body was shaking, writhing... his eyeballs spouted green fire, his nostrils, his mouth... as if Ash was microwaving his insides.

And finally... with a huge BANG! like a gunshot... Ash exploded a hole in Saiki the size of a trash can lid. Whatever guts or internal organs he contained were well evaporated by the point-blank blast.

"Hahahahaha! Look how easily you burn!" Ash cackled as he threw aside the now-lifeless body.

Ash spun around and was rushed by Mukai, who threw heavy blows at him from his large arms. But each one only succeeded in smashing concrete as Ash gracefully danced around his massive strikes.

As Mukai threw another one, Ash sidestepped it and threw a spinning backfist, his flame-fueled hand smashing into Mukai's cheek and sending him flying sideways. The fun was starting to lose its luster... Ash wanted this done already.

As Mukai attempted to get back up... he either failed to notice, or was unable to prevent the gigantic ball of flame Ash was producing in both hands. The sphere grew... grew... until it spilled out over Ash's fingers and swallowed his hands whole.

"Heh. That should be enough. Goodbye."

Ash fired his impressive fireball... and it seeked out Mukai and vaporized him to nothing in a giant green explosion.

With a sigh, Ash dusted off his hands and straightened his hair. Although he was not one to denounce his power, he was still quite thrown off by how easily Saiki and Mukai fell. Maybe they really WERE just re-animated bodies.

...Suddenly, he remembered: there was still a third one.

"Now, let's see what YOU can do!" Ash bellowed as he spun around and flung a fireball... at nothing. Botan was gone, no trace of her ever being there... except for the now destroyed light pole Ash just caused.

Ash wasn't that bothered by it. Botan was practically powerless anyway: a petty opportunist who preyed on the fragile, unstable, and blissfully ignorant. Wherever she was, she really had no bearing on his life whatsoever.

Feeling content, Ash put his hands on his hips and walked away. That was probably enough night air for him.

* * *

Their battle was so high-paced, so intense, it couldn't stay on one rooftop. Building by building they leaped, red and blue blurs trading cold steel as sparks lit up the night with their hungry blades. They were both equals in speed, power, technique... but one was brash and fiery, whereas the other was cool as ice. Their respective colors reflected this well.

Hanzo and Fuuma charged forward in a blur. One grandiose CLANG! of their swords, and the weapons flew from their hands, far out of reach.

Neither one backed down. Fuuma came in with a heavy low kick, but Hanzo backflipped to dodge it and came forward thrusting his palms. Fuuma dodged two high strikes, then quickly brought his forearm downwards to parry a body punch. The force sent him but a mere step backwards... and Hanzo capitalized.

"KOU RYUU HAA!"

Fuuma already knew he was going to do it. He had his own ready.

"ORAAAA!"

Red and blue chi collided in mid-air, creating a pretty purple blaze as equal power met and cancelled each other out. As soon as their feet touched the ground again... they rushed forward.

Hanzo threw a knifehand strike, chopping Fuuma just above the eyebrow. The fiery redhead spun around with a back elbow, then twisted back facing forward with a second one. Both failed to hit clean, but the determined Fuuma followed up with a third hit, curving his elbow forward and striking Hanzo clean on the forehead.

Hanzo checked the area: no blood. With determined eyes he fired back with a flurry of kicks, one going low to strike Fuuma's calf, a second one going mid to collide with his body, and finally... a third spinning one that caught him clean in the face.

Fuuma grunted as he stumbled backwards... but his raging spirit knew no retreat. Quickly recovering, he took to the skies and came down on Hanzo with a flying kick of tremendous proportions.

"HYAAAAAAH!"

The full weight of Fuuma was felt in the red ninja's foot as it slammed hard into Hanzo's forearm and forced the blue ninja into retreat. He took several rapid backflips before, in the split second his feet returned below him... channeling his projectiles.

"REKKOZAN!"

He threw them with speed and volume, putting a huge deal of chi into rapid firing his shuriken so that one would connect. But Fuuma proved to be too fast; his ninja agility allowed him to leap through each and every one until finally he closed distance.

Fuuma swung at him with an onslaught of vicious chops, to no avail, as Hanzo's head movement proved too superior. But Fuuma kept throwing, throwing... until Hanzo finally capitalized on one whiff.

It was a huge, wild spinning back chop from his rival that allowed Hanzo to counter hard. He brought his palms together in a clapping motion, slamming them into the respective left and right sides of Fuuma's ribcage. Immediately, the red ninja was stunned; Hanzo went high with that same strike, this time bringing the rigid end of his palms into Fuuma's left and right temple. As Fuuma recoiled in pain, clutching his head, everything from the neck up was wide open. Hanzo punched him in the throat, then quickly inverted that same fist and backed it into Fuuma's nose. Finally, to put the icing on the cake, his always-effective anti-air uppercut sent Fuuma flying high before a harsh landing.

The red ninja dropped to the ground, coughing, groaning, cursing from the effectiveness of Hanzo's 5-hit combo that rendered him helpless.

"Cough cough cough! Damn you! Arrgh! Damn it all! I had you...!"

Hanzo merely stood there with his arms folded, his face ever-composed. "Go home, Fuuma. It's not safe out tonight."

Fuuma shot him a gaze of loathing. "Grrrr... don't talk down to me, Hanzo! The only one not safe is you!"

Much to Fuuma's chagrin, Hanzo turned his back to him and walked away. The red ninja was immediately reduced to a baffled state of broken stutters.

"H-hey! D-don't turn your... you... don't you... DON'T WALK AWAY!"

"...Be safe, Fuuma."

"HEY! I MEAN IT HANZO! YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK! THE FUUMA CLAN SHOWS NO MERCY! I SWEAR WITH MY DYING BREATH I'LL-"

...Fuuma's incessant rambling threats had long faded in the distance. Hanzo no longer heard even a syllable of his barking, as the ninja was sharply focused on the events back below. He scanned carefully: the night had gone silent. Most everyone was gone, or headed back to the hotel.

"Hm?"

Hanzo squinted his eyes: a lone figure on a nearby rooftop, clad in white, nervously attempting to get away from... something. Should he pursue? Hmmm... no. No, this man would be caught soon enough. The two agents were not far behind him.

Diverting his attention from that little ruckus, Hanzo looked back down in the streets. There was nobody else left except Ash and...

"The Asamiya girl...?"

He could see her purple mane; he matched it with the rest of her body, and there she was. She was propped against a building, and seemed to be crying. In her current state, she would be totally compromised in the event of an attack.

With a determined face, Hanzo leapt a few rooftops closer and waited, a watchful eye being maintained on the girl, prepared to jump in if necessary.

* * *

"Sniff... sniff... c-cmon Athena... keep it together, old girl."

Athena smacked herself a few times in an attempt to knock the tears away... but more just took their place. She couldn't help it; she had backed herself into a corner big time. Unless her ancestor was wrong...?

No. If a goddess tells you something is going to happen, it's probably going to happen. She WAS going to face Ash in the quarterfinals... and she didn't feel strong enough. She already wasn't supposed to be here. But here she was... and now her very essence was on the line. If Ash defeated her, he would no doubt drain every drop of strength from her body. She would no longer be a Psycho Soldier. She would just be...

...Hm. Wait a minute... she would just be a pop star. No more burden, no more responsibility... she could devote herself to her singing passion full time. Wow... maybe she didn't think this th-

"NOOOO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Athena squealed at the selfish thoughts buzzing around like angry bees. She was just weak: letting herself get caught up in a desperate moment. She wholeheartedly knew she wanted to protect the world from evil... but moments of weakness like this tested her faith.

"That's it. Time for bed."

But as Athena rounded the corner, fate continued to play horrible, horrible games with her. She was abruptly no longer alone, as she bumped into the one person she had on her mind more than anything else...

"AH!"

Her mouth opened wide and produced an awkward, squeaky, gaspy type of vocal outburst. Her heart immediately began to beat thrice as fast, and she could swear an oven just turned on and was lighting her skin up. Right here, in front of her... she wasn't ready for this!

Ash didn't seem ready either; he made no hostile motions, just standing there nonchalantly with his hands still on his hips. The gaze he bore upon Athena was not one of malice, lust, envy... just a slight fatigue.

"...Mademoiselle." he casually greeted, a little grin starting to form on his lips.

"A...ah... y-you..." the sudden confrontation left Athena verbally unprepared. It took several more awkward, uncomfortable moments before she was able to swallow and start speaking coherently.

"Ash. I've been hearing disturbing things lately. Like... you want to take something from me."

"Oh, that? I dunno." Ash casually remarked. "To be honest, I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm never sure, really. Ahaha."

Athena trembled softly, befuddled by his demeanor. "Why...? Why do you want to hurt me? I... I've never done anything to you, have I?"

"Besides torture my ears with your distasteful music? No." Ash cut deep. "But that's not what it's about. It's never the other person's fault."

"Then what is it about?" Athena asked, her voice starting to mellow out upon adjusting to Ash's chill vibe.

"Sigh... I dunno. Maybe I'm just discovering myself." Ash replied. "I used to justify all my actions in the name of killing Saiki. Heh, yet here I am... and I've found that I liked the taste a little too much. I can't get enough now."

"I... don't understand." Athena meekly stated.

"Here's a theory." Ash just turned around and talked aloud, maybe not even addressing her. He put his hand up to gesticulate, as if making some big speech.

"Maybe I held onto the Sacred Treasures too long. Maybe now, I feel incomplete without the warmth of their heavenly might glowing inside me, filling my insides, my very core with a feeling so great it can only be described as nirvana. It felt so great, Mademoiselle Asamiya. Having that strength, almost infinite... now, my body can't bear to go on without feeling that wondrous power coursing through it."

Athena scratched her head. "So you want my Psycho Power... to fill the void inside you."

"That's a beautiful way to describe it." Ash smiled creepily. "Yes... emptiness, a black, desolate abyss deep in my very DNA. I hunger to fill it, with something... ANYTHING. I don't know what will be enough. Maybe nothing will EVER be enough. But I do know this: I can't go on the way I am now. I need... something. SOMETHING!"

"But you can't!" Athena argued. "You can't live your life preying on others! Maybe what you need isn't more power at all. Maybe you need help."

"Who's going to help me? The only person on the planet who cared selflessly for me hates me now." Ash rebutted. "Let's face it, I'm a lost cause. You'd do better just to kill me tomorrow and save the world a lot of potential trouble! Ahahahahahaha!"

"I...I...I'm not killing you." Athena shook her head. "But I can't let you steal my powers either. To that end... I will defeat you tomorrow."

Ash flamboyantly bowed. "Then I bid you adieu, Miss Asamiya. May we finally settle things tomorrow."

"Y-yeah... bye."

As Athena watched her "nemesis" walk away, she felt a mix of emotions. A pinch of anger, a whole lot of fear... with some sympathy and pity sprinkled in. She didn't like Ash, but she didn't hate him; just hearing his rambling about being incomplete made her feel sorry for the kid. He had really put things in perspective for her, and painted a picture that wasn't as simple as a comic book superhero besting the villain. He was in pain... and would do immoral things to sate it.

Athena shook her head and walked onward. No matter the justification, she still had to think of HERSELF. Her people, a world of innocents out there... and herself... she couldn't let all that be threatened by an unstable, power-hungry, annoyingly sassy kid.

* * *

"Oh no. No no no... gotta get away... can't be seen... can't be caught!"

The scientist recited these commandments over and over, the powerful denial offset by his crippling fear. He KNEW he was already discovered, by both a ninja and a cute girl with brown pigtails. He didn't bother looking back; he ran and ran, parkouring across rooftops as if his life hung by a thread. For all he knew... it did.

"What's the rush, guy? I just wanna chat!" Ai grinned. "It's not like I'm gonna throw bombs at you or anything crazy!"

Perhaps the lamest bluff in history. Ai rode her balloon high atop the city, easily commanding the distance and pace of this pursuit. In her hand, explosive ordinance was already armed...

"This is Ai! Yuki, come in!"

 _"I'm not far behind. What's your status?"_

"I'm about to move on the target! He's in my sights!"

 _"Roger that. Take him!"_

The scientist had not a ghost of a chance of getting away. Ai swooped down on him from her balloon and chucked a bomb at his feet, the projectile exploding on impact and sending the scientist into the most uncomfortable tumble of his life. He rolled painfully across the jagged rooftop, which had been quite disfigured by the explosion. He would have rolled completely over the top, had the edges of the roof not been slightly elevated.

"This is Ai! Target neutralized~!"

 _"Awesome work. I'm on my way up there!"_

Ai deactivated her balloon and landed on the roof, quickly rushing over there to secure the suspect. Within minutes, Yuki joined her up there.

"Oh, hey. Where's Chizuru?"

"I left her with that blue ninja guy. He offered to take her to safety." Yuki grinned. "Which gives us plenty of time to deal with our buddy here."

The scientist crawled away, until he realized his back had nowhere to go. His aching body prevented him from any means of escape... he could only watch in fear as Yuki and Ai approached menacingly, cracking their knuckles.

"Alright, Mr. Glasses... time to tell us who you are." Yuki demanded. "We've been spotting you since Rugal came around, and I believe it's time we formally met."

"Why should I tell you guys anything? I'm dead already!" the man defiantly spat.

"We can still hurt you." Ai retorted. "Should we take him to Mr. Big? NO... Yamazaki!"

"Are you nuts? Ryuji would chop off his fingers and eat them as hors d'oeuvres. He'll f*** him up TOO bad!"

"Then what shall we do?"

"Hmmm... well, how about I just punch him? Getting punched doesn't feel good."

Simple, primitive... surprisingly effective. Yuki turned back the clock in interrogation methods by simply drawing his fist back and letting it loose across the guy's jaw.

"OWWW! Damn it, that really does hurt!" the man cursed. "What are those abominable things on your fists?"

"They make things hurt worse." Yuki grinned. "Now, you want another one? Tell us who you are and what role you play in all this."

The man cursed as he rubbed his sore chin. "Fine. I guess nothing really matters anymore to me. I could die just as quick as I open my mouth."

"Then talk fast. We won't kill you, so maybe you can get out of this alive." Yuki encouraged.

"Very well then. I am... Head of Research and Development for WAREZ."

That dropped a huge bomb, of a kind much different from the ones Ai loved to throw. This was... quite a huge development for these two agents, who once fought to save the world from the corporation bearing that very name.

"Impossible! WAREZ is destroyed!" Ai argued. "We defeated Goodman and-"

"But you didn't stop all of us." the scientist smiled. "We've come together to resume the great work..."

"So you're the one responsible for the clones!" Yuki growled.

"Heh heh heh... yes. Quite a team, we make. Hahahahahaha..."

"Team?" Ai inquired.

"Yes." the man nodded. "It's a little weird, working with these other guys... but they're quite skilled in the cloning trade in their own right. Together, we made the Hakkeshu clones, clones of Those From the Past... powerful figures long dead, we gave them new life!"

"Your work was pretty shoddy." Yuki taunted. "They fell apart easily. None of them stood a chance against us."

"Ha ha ha ha! They were prototypes. Mere prototypes." the scientist laughed. "Except one... yes... he was our pride and joy. He was our first full project, our proudest achievement."

"...Rugal?" Ai deduced.

The man grinned, taking pride just saying these words. "The Rugal clone was a work of art. Heh heh... we even declined on giving him legitimate vocal features because we wanted to focus on optimum combat efficacy. He lived to fight. And that... haha... that was only the beginning, a mere snowflake of our potential! He was our first completed product! If we can make something as spectacular as him, then there's no telling what ends we can strive for! We can make bigger, faster, smarter ones! They'll be even greater than human beings! We... we truly are gods. Hahahaha... GODS!"

"Who else are you working with? Who are these other guys?" Yuki demanded.

"...Remnants of another fallen organization. The top minds of WAREZ have formed a coalition with them, combining our respective talents to produce fighting clones like nothing the world has ever seen before."

"It must be NESTS." Ai figured out. "Who else dabbled in clones besides those freaks?"

"Correct!" the scientist grinned. "Heh. It's funny... the scientists of NESTS actually possess a greater knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of cloning. How to create a living, functional being, capable of cognitive abilities... something that can sustain itself. And yet we, the people of WAREZ... we're talented in that we take pride in our clones, perfecting them, making them truly extraordinary, with superhuman powers and capabilities. Together, we've created a perfectly flawless operation. Our combined brilliance has put the world at our fingertips! We will create more... more... MORE! We'll recreate ANYTHING, even the most godlike beings in the universe. There's no limit to what we'll accomplish! We are the ones who giveth life! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

...His maniacal ranting was suspiciously cut off at a moment's pause. Yuki and Ai actually raised an eyebrow when they saw his spontaneous change in demeanor: his posture stiffened, the smile erased from his lips, his eyes widened... he looked almost paralyzed in place, like the act of sitting there was straining.

"...Hey? You still with us?" Yuki urged.

BANG!

Yuki and Ai gasped in horror as they watched a single drop of sweat leak down the man's temple... before he produced a gun and ended his life right there, where he sat.

Ai immediately threw herself into Yuki's arms, tearing her gaze away from the sight of his brain-splattered corpse as fast as humanly possible. Yuki held her tight and looked away as well; even a man of his fortitude could barely stomach the sight in front of him.

"Guh... great. Now we're gonna have to call Geese."

 **And thus begins... The Clone Arc!**

 **...Just kidding. Lol. We're getting back to the tournament next week. But rest assured, the diabolical cloning operation will be dealt with swiftly, and then we can get back to what truly matters. I don't know when I'll drop that chapter on you: maybe near the end of the quarterfinals? Anyways, we're onto something much more important next week.**

 **NEXT WEEK: The moment at least one person has been waiting for. It's Ash vs Athena for all the marbles! And we all know Ash really REALLY needs his marbles lol. Stay tuned!**


	32. Chapter 32: Quarterfinals, pt 1

The next morning was an unpleasant start for some of them: the brave, unfortunate few who either cared enough to combat this evil, or specialized in shutting shit down.

Thankfully, the hotel lobby was very generous with the coffee and breakfast. As the food and "morning fuel" kept flowing, so too did the discussion of how to deal with this threat swiftly and, most importantly... without disturbing the flow of the tournament.

"Hoo boy..." Geese massaged his forehead. "Our morning should not be starting this early. Shit."

"Did you uh... work things out?" Yuki meekly asked, looking away slightly embarrassed.

Geese sighed. "Yes... I 'talked to' the Milan Police Department. Our hands are clean. It's a clean suicide. Furthermore, they've resolved to leave this matter in our hands. Favor for a favor."

"That's the way I like it." Heidern nodded.

"Alright, let's get down to business!" Chizuru clapped her hands, feeling revitalized after the events of last night. She started by addressing the two agents.

"Yuki, Ai! Did you track the suspect's phone calls?"

"Roger that." Ai nodded. "The calls trace back to...Honfleur, Normandy."

"France? Hmmm... that's not that far away. Less than a day's drive." Geese noted. "They've been right under our noses."

"Heidern. Where's your closest Ikari base?" Chizuru shifted to him.

"Slovenia. In the mountains." Heidern nodded. "We can get resources from there. "Aircraft, men-"

"We won't need additional troops. I'd rather not endanger anymore people than necessary." Seth interrupted.

"Hey, we're badasses. We can handle it just fine." Ramon beamed.

Chizuru was silent for a second, her head nodding rhythmically with the words being spoken. She kept her eyes closed, a thumb in her mouth, just trying to keep a cool head, as a whole lot was happening around her. She didn't technically need to be a part of this... but being a host had brought it out in her.

"Right then!" she finally spoke again. "So we know who our enemy is: the remnants of NESTS and WAREZ have come together to resume the cloning operations. They're making vessels designed purely for combat, but to what end... we don't know. Revenge? Take over the world?"

"Does it really matter? They can keep their cliche motives. Let's keep it simple." Mary reassured.

"Good call." Chizuru smiled. "Now that just leaves... who will go?"

Heidern stood up for this one. "Alright listen up. I'm gonna need Ralf with me. The rest of you are benched."

"C-come again?" Whip asked.

"Sir..." Leona uttered quietly.

"Whip's not healthy enough for the field. And you... I don't want to take away your opportunity in the tournament."

"I don't care about the tournament." Leona defied.

"Then I'll care for you! You're staying, and that's an order." Heidern commanded.

Leona hung her head down meekly, haven been outranked in every aspect of the word. Whip showed her disapproval silently as well, crossing her legs, folding her arms with a pout.

"Don't worry. I'm going as well."

This voice was courtesy of Adelheid, who had attended the meeting as well. He'd been sitting in silence this whole time, but as soon as Heidern mentioned the participants, he jumped at the chance.

"Adel, you're too busted up." Heidern argued. "Your fight with Rugal-"

"I'm fine, sir." Adelheid returned. "If you're going, then I'll go as well. It's the least I can do... to atone for my failure..."

"Adelheid... well, I can't say I approve, but I can't order you to stay either." Heidern shrugged.

"BROTHER NO!" Rose squealed, throwing herself into his chest. "Please, brother! Please just stay with me, where it's safe! I can't risk losing you again. M-my heart can't take it..."

Adelheid gently shushed her, stroking her hair. "Rose, I'll be in good hands with them. Heidern needs me. I'll protect him, and he'll protect me. You see, Rose? We're the ones who have to save the world."

"But why you?" Rose quietly sobbed.

"I can't let them make anymore monsters like Rugal." Adelheid whispered. "But I promise... PROMISE... I'll come back to you, Rose."

"He'll be safe with us, Miss Bernstein." Heidern reinforced. "Now, how about the rest of you?"

Seth stepped up. "Ramon, Mary, you guys are with me. Vanessa... I don't think so."

"Oh come on." Vanessa frowned. "Why'd I even get out of bed this morning if you're gonna be like that?"

"I'm sorry partner, but I don't think it's a good idea." Seth shook his head. "Not with your arm-"

"Mary popped my shoulder back into place!" Vanessa whined.

"I'm sorry, Vanessa. That's my final answer." Seth ordered.

"Listen to the big guy, babe." Ramon helped. "We can handle this, so don't worry your pretty head about it."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "You guys are doomed without me."

Lastly, the two agents who defeated WAREZ themselves had a tiny bit to discuss.

"Gah, what lousy timing this is. I guess I could drop out of the tournament..." Yuki pondered.

"No, no! Just stay, please. I'll go." Ai quickly shot him down.

"Ai, cmon. You can't go off on a dangerous operation without me."

"I'm not helpless on my own, Yuki!" Ai fired at him.

"Ai-"

"Dude... get real. You made it to the final 10 of the greatest martial arts tournament in history! You're going to stay, and you're going to win, and you're gonna use the 2 million dollars to buy me a whole library of video games. I want Metal Slug, Savage Reign, Breakers, Ikari Warriors, Aggressors of Dark-"

"Alright, alright! Sheesh. But what if I get my ass kicked really quick and it was all for nothing?"

Ai winked. "What if? What if? What if? If you drop out, you'll eat yourself alive wondering what if for the rest of your life. So stay. Please. For me."

A sigh of defeat, followed by a smile, indicated perfectly that she had won.

"Fine... just promise you'll be safe, Ai. If I lost you, I'd be a freaking wreck." Yuki smiled.

Ai leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll be fine, babe~"

"Right. We done then?" Geese asked.

Chizuru nodded. "That's about it. The mission's in your hands now, guys. We're counting on you."

Heidern saluted. "Don't worry, we have it handled. Just make sure you keep a lid on it. We don't need to make the others uneasy. Just let the tournament go like normal, and we'll have this mission complete and be back before you know it."

"That's the best-sounding f***ing thing I've heard in a while." Geese grinned. "Alright, everyone get out of here. We got a big day ahead of us."

 **DAY OF QUARTERFINALS**

The atmosphere was a little awkward as the day began; fighters were already starting to question where half the roster had gone, whispers and murmurs carried, growing into a huge web of gossip... before long, it became apparent that Heidern had taken a special ops group to get down and dirty. As hard as Chizuru and Geese tried to maneuver around such talk... it was inevitable.

"So let me get this straight... Mary went to go kick these clone-makers' asses?" Terry inquired, his head quizzically tilted.

Vanessa shrugged. "I won't lie to you, big guy."

"...Great."

"You worried about her?"

"Hell no. I'm just lonely. I get to watch Andy and Mai be all kissy face and be left out. Hmph..."

"Did they come to you about it?" K' asked Maxima and Kula.

Maxima shook his head. "I guess they didn't want to alert you. They want you to focus on the tournament."

K' rolled his eyes. "Fine with me... well fellas, wish me luck out there. Today it's personal."

Kula, seeking no permission, wrapped her arms around K' affectionately. "I'm rooting for you~"

"I wish he hadn't left me behind." Leona softly addressed Iori, her head hung low. "I don't even feel like fighting today. I should just quit..."

"Don't be like that." Iori gruffly fired. "This is too big to walk away from. Look where you are."

But Leona already looked defeated, shaking her head steadily. Iori could see it in her eyes... her heart wasn't in this. His eyes scanned her carefully for a second, before narrowing... and a sudden burst of initiative flooded his mind.

"I'm going to prepare. Take care."

With a nod, Iori abruptly dismissed himself. Thankfully, Leona didn't seem any the wiser.

The action was minutes away from beginning; along the perimeter of the combat zone, Kyo and Chizuru were taking a casual stroll in the meantime. Obviously, Chizuru couldn't keep things from her fellow Treasures, so she took the time now to spill things.

"...So you didn't come to me about it." Kyo grunted, his hands in his pockets as he kicked up dust.

Chizuru shook her head. "There was no need. Your place is here, Kyo. Right here... in front of 80,000 fans."

Kyo chuckled. "Heh. I never thought I'd hear those words. So Iori's still here t-"

"Yes. We're all here, Kyo... you, me, Iori... and the world isn't any less safe." Chizuru smiled.

"What a surprise." Kyo laughed.

"Sometimes, we do have to answer the call. But sometimes... we can take a rain check and let others handle it. People are good like that." Chizuru extended a hand to his shoulder as she said these words. "Now, it's almost fight time. You better get back there and prepare."

 **QUARTERFINALS FIGHT #1: ATHENA ASAMIYA VS ASH CRIMSON**

Many an unfortunate, fateful chip had to fall into place for this unholy matchup to come to light. Ash had made his cruel ambition known from the very beginning, and nothing to this point had come close to having the ability to stop him. On the other end, the Psycho Solider herself had overcome tremendous odds to make it this far. If this was fate's design... it was shaping up to be something dark and twisted.

...But which one had the hand of fate on their side? Which one bore the ability to command the future? Athena had her righteousness: the goddess herself had blessed Athena with the power to make it here. But Ash... he was a different breed. Ash Crimson always got what he wanted. He was cunning, charismatic, with a dangerous resolve... and he preferred to win.

Light vs Dark. Madness vs Right. The snarling, ravenous jaws of avarice vs the holy, blinding sword of justice. Two equally powerful ambitions were about to clash... who will be the one to shape the events to come? Will Athena be a hero to the world and bring honor to her people? Or will Ash, as many times before, shake the Earth to its core with the same chilling, unsettling aura he so prominently exuded?

Never had a reception been so onesided in the history of sports competition. When Athena walked out of the red gate, the most powerful orchestra of cheers awaited her. 80,000 people and fighters, on their feet, clapping, stomping, cheering her name... rooting for her to slay the great evil that was that kid's sneering face.

"GO ATHENA! IT'S ALL YOU BABY!" Kensou shouted.

"MAKE ME PROUD, BIG SIS!" Bao affectionately called to the girl, who wasn't actually related, but was as close to him as blood.

"ATHENA! DON'T LOOOOSE!" Momoko squealed.

Chin was the only one silent. He just stared intensely, a hand on his chin... maybe his old lungs didn't feel like cheering? No... he was obviously just invested in this on a deeper level than the others...

In the rest of the fighter stands, the opinion was virtually unanimous.

"If there's a God, Athena will win this." Ryo boldly stated.

"That kid does deserve a major ass-kicking." Benimaru seconded. "I regret missing the chance to get some licks in on him."

"I'm not one to wish bad on people..." Terry stated. "...But I do think that kid needs some just- WILL YOU TWO QUIT MAKING OUT!"

Andy and Mai stopped sucking face for a second to address their beloved Bogard with a simultaneous "Sorry!"

The only area of the stands that had a complex mix of emotions was the one where Ash's friends resided. Obviously they were conflicted: a feeling Ash too often brought out in them.

"Man, this is wack." Shen Woo grumbled, scratching his head. "I don't wanna root against my little buddy but... he's about to do something SERIOUSLY messed up."

Duo Lon's face was the epitome of frozen. "For the sake of peace, Ash should probably lose here. I just don't know what that kid is thinking... he's too unpredictable."

The other two, Oswald and Elisabeth, were silent. One was utterly stricken with it, as a train ride of emotional trauma coursed through her at the thought of the kid she cared so deeply for turning down a path he can't stray from. She was utterly afraid this would be the final straw: the last thread of sanity binding Ash to the possibility of salvation.

Oswald... was just playing with a card. Nobody knew what he was thinking, nor did anyone really care.

On the opposite end, Ash Crimson at last emerged from the blue gate. As thunderous as Athena's positive reception was, so too was the disdain in equal magnitude as Ash was booed to the high heavens on his strut to the combat zone.

Of course, the kid didn't care; his teeth were shining bright as he played with his hair in one hand, and put the other hand on his hip. His uppity ass wiggled all the way to the area where he and Athena would at last settle things.

At last the two fighters stood before each other... and the air was too thick to even be cut with a Psycho Sword. Athena could already feel sweat forming, as the burden of reality weighed her down. She was the last hope: the final stand against this messed up kid and his motives. If he stole her powers here, there was no limit to what he could take next. Would he reclaim the Sacred Treasures? Maybe break the Orochi seal? Steal the power of God himself? Would she be the cause of the world's downfall? These plaguing worrisome thoughts were starting to feel almost physically painful in her head... and once again, those sinful desires of just being a normal girl were re-emerging.

"Well mademoiselle, here we are." Ash smirked. "I'm right in front of you. There's no more obstacles, no more diversions, detours, commercial breaks. You have to stop me now. You HAVE TO. Otherwise... who knows what I'll do? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!"

Athena tried to do some decent mean-mugging... but she was afraid he could see her trembling legs and that sucked all the confidence out of her. With a shaky voice, she spoke:

"Ash. You don't have to do this."

Ash leaned in with an insane face, one eye popping out, the other eye squinting, his teeth baring.

"Oh? Well how nice of you to remind me that I possess the power to do whatever I please! Let's face it, Mademoiselle Asamiya... I'm a hungry, hungry boy. A boy's gotta eat. I dunno if your power will finally sate the agonizing void inside me... but I have to try, no? Heh heh... even if I shun everyone I hold dear to me, this is going to happen. Prepare to lose, Athena. Prepare to lose it all."

Athena took a deep gulp... and got into stance. No more words could possibly be said to soothe Ash's madness.

 **FIGHT!**

Athena slowly stalked forward, not making any sudden movements... but Ash was sending a chill down her spine that made her legs feel like peanut butter. He was making that creepy anime smile: both eyes shut tight, lips curled wide in a U shape. It was the smile of a devious, back-stabbing angel. An angel that would just as soon sell their soul to Satan.

Finally, Athena opened up. She went high with a palm strike; it was slapped away rather easily, and she mixed things up with a low kick. Ash gracefully danced out of the way, and Athena's leg was forced to swing wide.

"Heh." Ash sneered as he threw a quick, openhanded jab: a mere slap, just to rattle Athena's nerves a bit. It hit Athena in the nose, producing a squeaky yelp as she fell directly into his trap: the sudden trauma of getting struck produced an involuntary counterattack out of her as she rushed forward with a flurry of strikes. Left, right, left, she alternated her palms with fluidity... but not a single one broke through. Ash slapped them all away and moved his head to avoid the rest. And all the while.. that smile never left.

Athena dropped down low, putting her whole body into a wide sweep kick. Ash backpedaled, and Athena kept spinning around. A second sweep kick backed up Ash further, a third sweep kick, a FOURTH... until Athena transitioned into a tornado kick to throw Ash off. Her foot just barely missed Ash's face... but as she spun around to complete the motion, she came back around with another combination of palm strikes.

Athena's strikes were fast, graceful, with minimal exertion... but Ash had uncanny head movement. He just laughed as he bobbed and weaved her punches, his platinum bangs swinging in the air as he kept his fists high, preparing to counterattack.

"Almost... there... and... KAPOW~!"

Ash timed Athena's arrival perfectly. She came in for a left... and he clocked her in the face with a straight left. That hit the pause button on Athena... allowing Ash a free follow-up.

Ash went hard, trailing green fire with each kick as he pounded Athena with a right roundhouse, spun around and followed up with a left, then elegantly spun around a SECOND time... and connected clean with a third roundhouse. All three hit their mark perfectly: a devastating combo that left Athena reeling.

"Hee hee. Nicely done, Miss Asamiya." Ash taunted as he followed up with a flamboyant pirouette, striking a pose with hands on his hips upon finishing.

Athena groaned as she propped herself up with her forearms, then angrily pushed off and leapt back up. She felt her Psycho Power welling up... she needed to unleash something.

"PSYCHO BALL!"

A red, spherical projectile soared towards Ash with all the fury and righteousness of Athena's burning soul. Its might was met with equal force from Ash: his green flames blazed hot as he blasted the projectile far before it was close to being a threat.

Athena's body propelled forward, fueled by Psycho energy; her body coursed with crimson as she threw a wide low kick. Her leg dug into Ash's calf, breaking his roots and causing him to wobble. The kid was forced to twirl around, rolling with the momentum, lest he fall over.

As Ash came around, a flaming backfist followed, which Athena managed to duck easily and counter with an upper palm. As it hit his chin, Athena took advantage of Ash's stunned state and went to the body with the next strike. At last... Ash was on the retreat.

Athena decided to really rock Ash's world: she teleported forward, palm drawn back, and unleashed it towards Ash's head. She felt her confidence rising, the flames of her courage growing hotter and hotter...

...Suddenly, she felt a soft, dainty hand smother her face.

"MMMPH! MMPH! MMMPH!"

Ash chuckled as he controlled Athena via his hand to her face, fingers slightly curled to dig into the soft meat of her temple. Athena was so thrown off by her sudden lack of vision and constricted breathing that she didn't have an avenue of escape planned.

Ash pushed her head back to distance their bodies, then drove his foot into her shin. Athena gave a muffled yelp as her stance was broken, nearly collapsing to her knees; the only thing keeping her up was Ash still squeezing her face.

The second blow was even worse; Athena was helpless as she received the full force of Ash's knee shooting upwards into her chest. THAT one knocked her down to her knees, and the Asamiya girl found herself begging for her face to be cleared so she could suck in precious air...

At last, the hand was removed from her face... but it went somewhere even more unpleasant immediately after. To stand her up, Ash opted to grab her by her beautiful purple locks, tugging upwards so fiercely she thought the fibers would be ripped from her scalp. She didn't even have time to squeal before Ash's shinbone crashed into her face.

Finally, Ash let go of her altogether... and Athena's only fate was to wobble backwards and topple like a domino.

"Mm mm mm... I must say mademoiselle, you're not making a very powerful case." Ash teased, dusting off his hands as if he had exerted minimal effort on this task.

Spinning... spinning... but at least it was getting slower. Athena was starting to see solid objects again: her hands, her legs, her feet. She wasn't sure if she was bleeding; it didn't feel like it. She had to get back up... too much at stake to lay down...

"That's the spirit!" Ash cheered. "Cmon! Round 2, girlfriend! Let's go!"

Athena shook away the remaining cobwebs, and she was on Ash again. She looped with a rigid palm strike; Ash's wrist was there to parry the strike, and he countered with a sharp jab. Athena recoiled only slightly, then rushed in with a high kick. Ash returned with his own kick, but this one went to the body; his longer leg was able to connect with Athena's stomach before her foot could reach his face. As Athena was mid-kick, she was easily knocked off balance and dropped.

Athena shot upwards, swaying her head at the last second to dodge a kick Ash attempted to throw to her grounded self. She closed her fists: perhaps a sign of desperation?

Athena's first jab was dodged, but she fluidly switched to the body and managed to connect with Ash's side. As she sensed Ash tense up, she whipped out her special move as fast as humanly possible.

"PSYCHO SW-OOOF!"

Ash was just too prepared, dishing out moves deep in the contents of his uncanny bag of tricks. He sensed the exact moment her body was going to propel upwards, arm extended... and he dropped low with a handstand. He extended his feet outwards, catching her ankle and pulling her back down to the ground hard. Ash backflipped back to his feet, seeming not the least bit winded. He even had time to blow the hair out of his face.

This time, Athena didn't get back up. She TELEPORTED forward, leg extended, and took Ash out at the legs. The platinum-haired blonde seemed thrown off by this, as he had no defense mounted to stop it. He tumbled to the ground, joining Athena in the dirt...

Athena was back up seconds later. She leaped high into the air, body coursing with Psycho Power, already onto her next follow-up.

"PHOENIX ARROW!"

Ash had to act fast, lest the crimson ball known as Athena collide with him. He pushed off with one hand, backflipping to create the necessary distance; as he got back on his feet, the final phase of Athena's attack: a low kick, managed to connect on Ash's shin and throw off his balance.

Athena leaped back up; she could see Ash's erratic foot movements. He still wasn't balanced. Keep going... don't let him breathe...!

Athena teleported forward and clocked him with a closed fist. Ash hissed through clenched teeth and spun around with a kick to her stomach. It hurt, but it wasn't enough to slow Athena down. She came forward, and walked right THROUGH the backfist Ash popped her in the nose with. She didn't care; she was still coming forward.

Ash weaved through Athena's strikes... but they were getting close. They were fast, deadly, each one fueled with the coursing red aura of her Psycho Power. She was going nonstop, taking a step forward to throw a hook, then spinning around to alternate with a backfist. She kept doing this, over and over, one destined to finally connect.

She tried to get clever and throw off her rhythm... but this served as a mistake. As soon as Ash saw her attempt to mix things up with a kick, he fired back with his own kick that threw hers off trajectory. Her wide open face invited a flaming left cross, and the boy pirouetted into a blazing wheel kick that put Athena in a world of trouble. She was stumbling, dancing all over the place, her equilibrium ruined by that nasty strike... and Ash had all the time in the world to light her up.

"Heh."

Ash threw a sweep kick, despite being nowhere near Athena. His intentions became clear, however, when a concentrated trail of green fire soared along the ground and finally took out her malfunctioning feet. Athena did an uncomfortable somersault in mid-air before landing painfully on her shoulder, her nose getting a deep whiff of the dusty, dirty ground. Embarrassingly, she sneezed a few times as she lay there...

Ash, meanwhile, was checking his nails. "Athena darling, I must commend you for lasting so long against me. These other yahoos, they didn't even last long enough to make things interesting. But you... hehehe... you've actually been quite fun. Thank you."

Athena coughed and groaned a few times, slowly inching back up to her knees. The whole time, she stared defiantly at Ash; no matter what, she wasn't going to let him know how badly she wanted to quit. Her confidence had wavered, her spirit weathered by the constant punishment... but she still had something she could cling to. If nothing else in this WORLD... she still had one thing.

She was chosen to be here.

Ash's eyes widened when he saw Athena rise, and the purity of her spirit unleash: a huge, sparkling pillar of energy, nearly engulfing her body whole. Just enough of her could be seen to make her look so... ethereal. Like, she wasn't even human...

"Beautiful..." Ash muttered under his breath. But his next words, he spoke loud and clear.

"You truly have the gift, mademoiselle! Your dopey partner, your old master, those kids... even their combined power doesn't shine, doesn't sparkle as gallantly as yours does."

"I need this power... for the sake of the world!" Athena bellowed. "I can't let you have it! Get ready Ash! YOU'RE FINISHED!"

A sinister smile curled on his lips as his body lit up.

The Crystal Bits started to swarm her: two, three, five... finally resting at seven. They orbited her constantly, her own personal swarm of offensive and defensive projectiles, to use as she commanded.

Ash charged at her, as the first Bit came in fast: he snuffed it out with a wave of his flaming arm. Two more zoomed forward: he sent out two fireballs and vaporized them. His momentum didn't slow down a grain.

The third Bit came at him, and Ash twirled around and it whizzed past his gut. He kept running forward, even as the Bit started to curve around and rush him from behind. He smacked the fourth one, fifth one... the sixth one was met with a point-blank fireball. Finally, the third Bit caught up to him from behind; he didn't even turn back to look as he extended his arm and burned it to oblivion.

Athena charged at him, the last remaining Bit grasped in her palm. She wasn't going to launch this one... she was going to ram it up his ass.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Athena drew back. Ash drew back. Their fists, coursing with Psycho and green fire respectively, came forward and met in the middle...

BOOOOOM!

The explosion sent both of them on their heels... but both remained standing.

Athena rushed in and caught Ash looking with a palm to his left eyebrow. Ash's retaliation was fierce: rushing in with a foot to her body, spinning around with a flaming kick, and, upon that second kick missing, leaping and spinning with an additional one behind it. The latter two kicks missed, but they backed Athena up a fair distance.

Athena growled as she phase-shifted forward... a jab stopped her. She blinked a few times, caught like a deer in headlights. A split second later, she resumed her attack: a spinning forearm by a laughing Ash once again struck her and froze her solid.

"I think it's about time."

Athena was pissed off, superpowered, BEAMING with energy...she felt invincible. She felt the hand of the Goddess Athena herself guiding her, even if that really wasn't the case. She wasn't there in person, of course... but the power of fate WAS. Athena was being led on the divine path; it was impossible for her to lose!

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Athena's fist sparkled as she let it fly on Ash's face. It connected clean: cleaner than any punch she had ever thrown in her life. She felt the epitome of her power in that strike; nobody could stand up to it. NOBODY.

In fact, her punch was so powerful that it went right through Ash and- wait... what?

Athena's demeanor changed from brimming with confidence... to puzzled. She was standing there, fist rammed through Ash's head... but she felt nothing. Not flesh, nor bone... she was punching air.

"Hehehehehe... hahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The laughing figure known as Ash disappeared into an afterthought, as if Athena had never punched him. He was gone.

"What the-ACCKKKK!"

Against all laws of physics, Ash was behind her, arms snaked around her neck. The entire Coliseum gasped upon witnessing this magic act... none moreso than Chizuru. SHE knew what this was.

"That... little... bastard." the words hissed out slowly.

Athena struggled to pry his arm loose, coughing, choking in his impressively tight grip. He didn't seem like the type to be strong... but Ash was REALLY choking her.

"Ngh.. ack... haaghk... how... did... you...!"

"Perhaps you need another demonstration."

All at once, Ash let go of Athena and shoved her forward. She stumbled a bit, but was back up and spinning around in no time. She rushed Ash, fist drawn back, and let it fly... but her fist once again passed through Ash and the boy faded to nothing.

At that exact moment, Athena felt the tip of Ash's elbow soar into the back of her head.. from behind?!

Athena was rattled, but she spun around with a wild backfist. Ash disappeared once again, and the next thing she knew, he was driving his elbow into her gut.

"Aug...hh..?!"

Ash cackled as he dished out the pain: an uppercut, followed by a body kick, doubling her over. He delicately lifted her chin high enough that he could deck her in it. Finally, to complete his punishment... a spinning, flaming kick to her stomach that dropped her.

"I guess the secret's out now." Ash grinned. "Yes, it's true... I don't know how it happened. I DO have a theory, though: I think... that I held onto the Sacred Treasures so long, that a tiny part of them imprinted on me. Cool, huh? Obviously, it's nowhere CLOSE to the full power. Otherwise, I wouldn't be longing like I do. But it's just enough... hahaha... it's just enough of a tasty morsel, that I can do things like THIS!"

Athena groaned weakly as she stood up, on shaky legs. She looked around: she was surrounded. One Ash on her left, one on her right... and one Ash behind her. It was all the trickiness one could come to expect from the Yata Mirror.

"He has... my powers. That little sneak has my powers!" Chizuru wailed.

Athena felt herself shrinking as a cacophony of laughter bounced all around her. She spun around constantly, sweat dripping as she saw those laughing, smirking faces... mocking her... taunting her for her weakness...

"Gr... gaaah... RRRRAGH!"

Athena flung a Psycho Ball at the Ash on the left; he simply vanished with a snigger. She cursed aloud as she shot at the one on the right; the same outcome.

"G-gah! Behind me!" Athena swung around and fired a Psycho Ball at the last remaining Ash. He started to disappear, like the rest... but in a flash, the Ash standing there was simply an after-image, and the REAL Ash shot forward and in her face.

In an instant, Athena was grabbed by the neck and slammed down. Her fearful eyes looked up, and was met by Ash's menacing grin.

"Here's another surprise for you, sweetheart."

Ash's body glowed with a purple hue... and Athena's body exploded in a spontaneous burst of emerald flames... with magenta tips.

"AH!" Momoko squealed.

"NO!" Bao cried.

"ATHENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Kensou wailed.

The smoke cleared... and Athena was thankfully breathing. Her clothing was practically gone, her skin almost like charcoal. Smoke came out in tiny puffs as her stinging lungs produced tear-inducing coughs. The only thing spared was her purple hair; maybe Ash wouldn't sink so low.

Nonetheless, this fight was over. Ash stood there for at least a minute, casually chewing on a lock of platinum blonde hair, waiting for Athena to get back up. It just wasn't happening.

 **WINNER: ASH CRIMSON**

"Cough cough... agh... n-no... COUGH COUGH COUGH!"

Ash looked down with a condescending smile. "Awwww... you alright sweetie? Did I make the flames a little too hot for you? It's not my fault. It's that darn Yasakani Jewel. Ever since I relinquished it, I've felt the after-effects of being able to partially spawn the cursed flames of those distasteful Yagamis. So sorry~"

Athena was barely listening. Her sorrow had overtaken her; she lay there, staring at the sky through misty glass, as the warm tears poured down each end of her temple and soaked the ground around her. The weight of failure had already crashed down on her, pinning her with its crushing mass. She deserved to lay here, for all eternity. She deserved to be sucked dry. Fate obviously had a different hand than what she thought...

"I... I thought I made it this far for a reason..." Athena sobbed. "My destiny was to... to stop you..."

Ash chuckled as he got down on one knee and lowered himself... until his lips touched her ear.

"Your purpose... was to lose to me."

With that short, stabbing burn, Ash stood back up, dusted his hands, and laughed gleefully as Athena lay there a crying mess.

"AND NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE FINAL ACT OF THE EVENING!" Ash announced to the crowd, who was currently booing their guts out.

"Oh no, is he going to...?!" Shen Woo cried.

"Cmon Ash... fight it!" Duo Lon barked. "Elisabeth, do something!"

Elisabeth was on her feet, hand on her crop... but her legs were paralyzed. Was this... fear? Was she scared of Ash? No... maybe it was the crippling sorrow: the reality of knowing that the boy she once loved was officially crossing the point of no return. Perhaps she felt such hopelessness that her legs couldn't even muster the will to move forward and confront him.

Ash snatched Athena by the shirt and held her high, her body limp and powerless in his grasp. Athena just closed her eyes... and accepted whatever was to come.

"ASH! Whatever you're doing, STOP!" Chizuru commanded.

"LET GO OF HER!" Kensou boomed. "SO HELP ME I'LL-"

Ash snarled as he drew his hand back, preparing to ram it into her soul and suck out the very essence that made her a Psycho Soldier. This was it; nobody could get to him in time. Nobody was powerful enough to stop him, anyway.

He allowed his eyes an indiscriminate dart towards the stands... towards Betty. She was standing there, hand on her weapon... god, she was shaking. She was giving him such a stink-eye it could attract flies...

Ash found that he couldn't look away. He started to capture every detail: the shaking of her legs, the quivering hand on her crop, her clenched teeth... and those eyes. They looked at him with such hatred... such... scorn.

Why? Why did Betty always frown at him? Why did she never smile? There was a time when she smiled... yes... back then, when they were kids. She always had a smile on her face, when she held him in her arms... when they gazed at the beautiful clouds in those lush fields... where did all of that go?

...He remembers. He ruined it all when he left. He left... and he never saw Betty's smiling face again. Now, ever since, it was only THAT look: the one she was shooting at him right now, like he was her mortal enemy, like he was someone who caused her great pain. The joyous face she once wore was only a distant memory... and it was all his fault.

Why? Why did he ruin their happiness? Why was Betty always... so angry at him? Why... WHY WAS SHE AFRAID OF HIM?!

It was back: that taste. No... it was even worse now. No longer a bitterness... the taste on his lips drove him to nearly vomit. He made himself sick: his own reflection, putrid, vile... if he were to gaze into another mirror, it would surely break from his ugliness.

Ash's hand was far off trajectory at this point; it had veered far to the left of Athena, nowhere near her vicinity. He felt his grip on her shirt begin to loosen, the sweat making his fingers slick... until at last she slipped free. Luckily, she landed on her feet before collapsing on her butt.

"I have enough power already. I don't need your circus act." Ash snarked.

Ash abandoned the Coliseum just as he always did: with a flick of his hair and a hand on his hip. He strutted away, from everything: Athena, the Coliseum... his ambition.


	33. Chapter 33: Quarterfinals, pt 2

**Whew. Back to the ol' grind. Just your friendly neighborhood jojoDO, dishing out more action. I haven't counted, but I must be close to reaching 100 fight scenes by now eh? What a milestone for a guy who's supposed to be a writer of... uhh... you know. I'm not gonna say it haha.**

 **Author's Pick: All of them are disgusting squash matches. You should be ashamed of me for doing this in the freaking quarterfinals, but common sense should dictate who will advance to the end by now. So... it's really just circumstantial. Sorry.**

"Athena!"

They all seemed to say her name at once as Kensou, Bao, Momoko all rushed out there to scoop her up. Chin was much slower than the others, because of his old age.

The groaning Asamiya was met with the foundation and support of her fellow Psycho Soldiers as they held her up. Kensou secretly wished it was just HIM that ran out... but he would keep his immature contempt towards Bao and Momoko to himself.

"Athena! Talk to me! Talk to me baby!" Kensou begged.

"He... h-he..." Athena weakly muttered.

"Athena. Are you alright?" Chizuru asked, having also arrived on the scene.

"Oh Chizuru... he didn't do it... hahaha... he didn't do it..." Athena repeated those words with an almost delirium. Strangely enough to her cohorts... she was smiling.

"Athena, what are you talking about? You lost!" Kensou cried.

"No... hahaha... I won. I won..."

"Athena..." Chin softly muttered.

"Big sis..." Bao seconded.

"Take her to the hospital. She just needs some rest." Chizuru commanded. "And can someone please go get Ash back! I need the semifinalists!"

"...I'll take care of that."

Those surprise words came from Elisabeth, who had joined them down on the combat zone upon Ash's departure. Before Chizuru could utter a word of inquiry... the Frenchwoman had already exited the Coliseum in pursuit of Ash.

"Athena. Can I ride with you?" Kensou requested to Athena, who had already been loaded into the truck.

Athena just smiled at him. "Sure you can, Kensou. Cmon."

At that moment, Kensou's rather obtuse brain stopped questioning what had happened and why Athena was acting weird... and just focused on the fact that she was letting him ride with her.

"Yes ma'am!"

For the duration of the ride, Athena reveled in a silent content. Sure, she had lost, sure, she had been fooled by the grand design and what part she played in it... but she couldn't help but feel like she had done something spectacular, seeing Ash spare her the way he did.

She had changed fate. The Goddess herself declared that Ash would steal her powers... and it never came to pass. Maybe Athena had something to do with that, maybe she didn't... but for the foreseeable future, she would allow herself to believe she knocked sense back into Ash Crimson.

 **QUARTERFINALS FIGHT #2: KYO KUSANAGI VS HANZO HATTORI**

Hanzo was knocked sky-high by the Kyo's flaming uppercut, his fist achieving maximum propulsion as it lifted Hanzo's chin north.

Kyo landed back on his feet, awaiting Hanzo's return to the ground as well. The blue ninja backflipped in mid-air to create distance, and wisely unleashed projectiles to buy himself some more recovery time.

"REKKOZAN!"

Kyo stayed frosty, weaving through the shuriken with ease. Although Hanzo would have liked to hit him, he achieved his goal: recovering from that nasty uppercut and regaining his footing.

Hanzo rushed in again and fired a high kick; Kyo parried it off his forearm and countered with a body hook. Hanzo twisted so the punch struck his side in a less vital area, and countered with a spinning kick aimed high. When Hanzo's foot missed, he cleverly spun around with his momentum and transitioned to a sweep kick instead. Kyo was just a little too light on his feet, able to leap back just in time to avoid the low attack.

Hanzo came forward with a swift combination: 1-2 knifehand strikes, firing a knee to the body when they got closer. Kyo dodged the initial two, but took the knee flush and came back swinging for the fences. Hanzo's head movement allowed him to dodge the first flaming left hook, but he was forced to block the next three punches raw, and Kyo was backing him up with each impact.

Hanzo remained cool, his ninja instincts kicking in; Kyo threw his hip into a wide, looping body kick, and Hanzo backflipped rapidly until he was safely out of Kyo's range. Upon settling, he quickly let his Rekkozan fly.

"Heh. Can't even touch me with those." Kyo smirked as he waved his hand and reduced the blue projectile to cinders.

That wasn't the only weapon in Hanzo's bag of tricks, though. Drawing his blades, he let loose with one of his deadliest techniques...

"NIN POU RIN KYAKU!"

Kyo was a little shocked to see Hanzo flying at him like some spinning frisbee of death, but the flame-wielder was always cool-headed in a tense fight. He squinted his eyes as he timed the rotation, anticipated the arrival... and dived just out of range of Hanzo's kill zone. With a smooth barrel roll, Kyo was back up to his feet without a scratch.

Hanzo was a little discouraged, his best move being shut down... not to mention he expended a lot of energy flying at Kyo like that. He could feel himself slowing...

When Kyo came at him, Hanzo's sluggishness was realized. Kyo lunged with a teep kick to his chest, and Hanzo was knocked onto his butt. He didn't even have time to bring his forearms close.

Hanzo stood up, and a right hook found his jaw. His legs buckled slightly for a moment, but he stayed upright and dodged the next punch, countering with an effective palm to Kyo's face. He followed up to Kyo's ribs, and Kusanagi started retreating. Hanzo tried to tag him with a body kick on the way out, but Kyo's defense remained sufficient as his forearms deflected it.

Kyo followed Hanzo as his leg drew back and fired a kick of his own, striking hard and true on the ninja's stomach. He saw Hanzo's arms drop low to instinctively clutch his stomach in pain, leaving his face wide open... and Kyo gave him a left hook to end all others.

He could have sworn Hanzo's eyes rolled back when his fist smashed his cheek, but surprisingly the ninja stayed upright. Hanzo tried to counter with a leaping roundhouse, transitioning into a spinning back kick behind it, but Kyo's swift feet danced out of the way of the danger with ease.

The audience was on their feet; they knew this was close to done.

Kyo was piecing him up. A front kick to the stomach. His foot went higher for the second kick, clocking Hanzo in the face. The third kick, Kyo spun around and rammed his foot at full speed into Hanzo's solar plexus. The ninja was practically putty on his feet.

Kyo grinned as his fists coursed with flame. He gave the piece de resistance: a blazing left hook to the body, followed by an uppercut so immense it lifted Kyo off his feet just to throw it. Hanzo's "death cry" was music to his ears as the ninja met the ground with an uncomfortable landing. He tried to get up for only a moment... but his body wouldn't allow it, and he lay flat.

 **WINNER: KYO KUSANAGI**

"Ungh... I am defeated." Hanzo humbly declared. "My time here is over now. Agh... congratulations..."

Being a good sport, Kyo at least helped the ninja back up. "I gotta say, you made a fan out of me. I don't know many guys who could smoke Shiranui and Joe like that. It was a pleasure to fight you."

Hanzo bowed. "I thank you. But my training is far from over... my defeat here proves I have a ways to go. Farewell."

Kyo gave him one last respectful nod before Hanzo leaped high into the clouds; his blue kite was waiting for him, and Hanzo rode off into the metaphorical sunset.

"So much for that guy... hmph. And I never got to fight him." Andy pouted.

"I'd like to rematch him one day... but I have a feeling we won't be seeing that guy ever again." Mai sighed. When she spoke of him, Andy could have sworn she had a hint of awe in her voice.

"M-Mai... you still think I'm the sexiest ninja ever, right?"

Mai laughed. "Andy, nobody compares to you. Don't worry."

"Whew."

"He was kind of hot though..."

"MAI! NOT HELPING!"

 **QUARTERFINALS FIGHT #3: YUKI VS K' DASH**

K' literally leaped at Yuki with his straight left; Yuki fired his wrist guns at his own feet to propel his body backwards, safely out of K's range. K' kept coming forward, pivoting his hip with a huge low kick; Yuki grinned as he tested K's patience once again, firing his right wrist gun downwards, allowing him to cut an angle on K' and catch him from the side.

K' cursed aloud as he was laid out flat, courtesy of an energy-fueled fist from his opponent.

"Shit... gadget boy's got some tricks." he muttered as he slowly worked his way back up, all the while massaging his cheek. Yuki's fists REALLY hurt: no doubt he'd need Kula to ice that later.

Yuki got a little enthused and tried to box K'; this was a huge mistake, as K' was light on his feet and had much longer arms. As soon as Yuki tried to swing at him, K' peppered him with two sharp jabs from his right hand. As Yuki froze up, K' followed up with a left jab... then put on the finishing touches with a powerful right hand behind it.

Yuki stumbled; K' continued the onslaught with a fast, whipping kick to the body. As quick as his leg touched the ground, it went airborne once AGAIN... and gave Yuki's temple a taste of shinbone.

The agent desperately aimed his wrist guns downward and fired a large blast, sending him high into the sky. He just wanted a breather, just a mere SECOND of mercy from K's brutal volume. He was already starting to feel outclassed, having been hit five times when he could only dish out one.

"LIGHTNING FIST!"

Yuki pulled out all the stops; when he touched the ground again, he slammed his fist into the earth and unleashed the same lightning storm that shut down Maxima. Unfortunately, K' had some tricks of his own; he merely scoffed as he put his hands in his pockets and phase-shifted out of reach, his body a mere shadow as it flickered out of the range of the electrical attack.

K' decided to play with Yuki a little; the cheeky bastard kept his hands in his pockets, leaped forward on his left foot, and buried the sole of his right foot into Yuki's chest. His long, lanky leg was enough to knock Yuki off his feet, and the agent's butt skidded a couple inches.

Yuki angrily leaped up, his fists glowing blue with energy. K' just looked at him with that lazy expression, his hands still in his pockets. That only made Yuki angrier...

"GRRRRRR!"

Yuki came at K', fists flying; the platinum-haired kid couldn't have made him look dumber as he effortlessly moved his body out of the way of each strike, without even having to remove his hands from his pants. Yuki might as well have been swinging at Chizuru's after-images.

Finally, K' timed the arrival of Yuki's next punch; still with hands in pockets, he stepped forward and shoulder checked Yuki in the face.

"Gah!" Yuki yelped as he stumbled backwards, surprised by such a sneaky move.

"Pfeh." K' scoffed as he followed up, spinning around and finally using his hands again to backfist Yuki in the nose. As Yuki clutched his nose in annoyance, K' once again demonstrated how insanely agile his legs were; he struck Yuki's stomach with solid shin, then brought that same leg upwards and collided with his face. He didn't even return his foot to the ground in the time it took him to whip out those two kicks.

Yuki was practically seeing stars at this point. He had nothing to offer K' in terms of offense, because K' was so fast and his limbs were so long. It was for that same reason that defense would be useless as well.

He scanned K': the kid had one palm raised, and was swirling trails of flame within his fingers. He knew K' was preparing for the kill blow; he had to act fast.

Out of range, desperate, and angry... Yuki simply aimed his wrist guns at K' and fired. But he only hit a black, shadowy blur; the next thing he saw was K' in his face... and a tremendous force plowing into his stomach.

"Auuuughkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk...!"

Embers floated in the breeze as K' removed his gloved hand from Yuki's stomach and walked away. He lifted his hand for only a second... to blow out a teeny flickering flame on his finger that still resided.

 **WINNER: K' DASH**

"Ahhh shoot..." Yuki groaned softly as he curled up on the ground, wary of the volume of his voice, as talking too loud would probably make him puke. He finally settled for laying on his side, keeping himself scrunched up tight, to try and give his insides time to settle. Despite his pain and humiliating defeat... Yuki couldn't help but smile.

"Heh... heh heh heh... you were right, Ai. If I had missed this, I never would've lived it down. Heh... at least now I know."

K', meanwhile, was all business and no smiles. As he walked away, ignoring the cheers of Kula, Maxima and Whip... he was already focused on his next opponent. He had wanted Kyo since the beginning; now, only three other people would stand between them. He didn't care who he fought next; he'd blaze through them all to achieve his personal victory.

 **QUARTERFINALS FIGHT #4: IORI YAGAMI VS LEONA HEIDERN**

 _"Chizuru."_

 _"Ah! Uh... h-hey Iori. Anything wrong?"_

 _"Why you so jumpy?"_

 _"Sorry, I just get that way... around you."_

 _"Sheesh, you act like I murder babies or something. Anyway, I have a favor to ask."_

 _"Hm?"_

 _"Can you talk to the G Man? I want Leona to fight me."_

 _"Hm... Leona is currently scheduled to fight K'."_

 _"Yeah... that ain't happening. I need Leona to fight me, okay? Just do it."_

 _"Okay... why?"_

 _"I don't know if you've noticed, but Leona is... not doing very well with people right now. She's still shaken up from going Riot."_

 _"Yeah..."_

 _"Unless it's me, her head's not gonna be on straight. I just want to calm her down a bit... so please talk to Geese. Because you don't want ME to talk to him."_

 _"Hm, well... yeah, I guess I could do that. Very well then, I'll tell him to mix the matchups around."_

 _"Thanks a bunch."_

 _"...Hey Iori?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"You're such a sweetheart."_

 _"Shut... the fuck... up."_

Leona wasn't 100% in the game right now... but she had to admit, she felt her heart rate begin to settle upon seeing Iori as her opponent. It was so weird how his face was... so soothing to her. He was an asshole, a social pariah, the bane of every bright, happy, cheery person around him... but he brought her peace. Because he was the only other person in the universe who was the same as her. She wasn't sure she could go toe-to-toe with anybody else right now.

"Hey."

Leona snapped out of her thoughts when Iori suddenly addressed her. Keeping her face calm, she got into stance.

"Yeah?"

"...You're welcome."

Leona tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

Iori grinned. "Heh. Don't worry about it."

 **FIGHT!**

Leona started off a little slow. She circled Iori, trying to catch an angle on him... but her foot movement was rather plodding. She felt sluggish; maybe it was a good thing Heidern left her behind.

Iori finally woke her up by stepping forward and clocking her with a right. Leona was caught looking; the blow hit her cheek clean and stumbled her back. She tried to mount a swift and furious comeback, but made the mistake of standing right in front of Iori. He was able to stop her far before she approached his range with a stunning side kick to the stomach.

"Oof..." Leona grunted as she fell on her butt, but was up seconds later.

Iori threw a low kick; Leona checked it with her shinbone and countered with a slashing swipe of her outstretched hand. Iori caught her wrist and flung her down to the ground with one mighty tug. Leona landed rather uncomfortably, but quickly barrel rolled to make a swift recovery.

Leona put her hands up, fingers outstretched; Iori could see the savageness in her face. She was finally getting her groove. He couldn't help but grin...

The blue-haired soldier took two deep swipes at him; Iori's head movement saved him from a decapitating fate, and Leona switched up her third hit by thrusting instead of swinging. Iori flinched backwards, just in time for her fingers to miss his neck.

A left jab caught Leona's nose. She shook the sting away, but another left came quickly after: this one a full-fledged hook that sent her reeling backwards. Iori took advantage of her wobbly feet, and opted to knock her off of them; gathering a purple fireball, he sent it along the ground to zero in on her shaky legs.

"UNGH!" Leona was blown off her feet like stepping on a land mine. She hit the ground for the second time, this one taking a bit longer to recover from after that painful explosion.

"Cmon Leona! Don't distance yourself from him!" Whip, the only person still around to support her, coached.

Leona took that advice and ran with it. She sprinted towards Iori quickly to avoid another fiery projectile; unfortunately, she focused a little too much on closing distance and not enough on protecting herself. Upon getting in Iori's striking range, he was quickly able to give her another taste of his fists.

A left hook sent Leona down to one knee. She sprang up and threw herself against Iori, clinching with him in desperation. Iori snuck a hand underneath her chin and shoved her head backwards, creating just enough distance that he could press his forearm against her chest and pry her loose. His punishment was swift and brutal: a flaming body punch that brought her to her knees.

Leona was hurting, but still game; despite being on the ground, she quickly outstretched her leg and tripped Iori with a sweep kick. The red-haired man hit the ground for the first time, complete with an angry hiss.

This gave Leona enough time to properly regain her footing, and the two warriors circled each other once again, hands high. Leona feinted a right; when Iori flinched, she fired a knee to his body and backed him up. She managed to catch him with a left jab at the apex of his feet backpedaling. She tried to follow up with a right hook, but only succeeded in grazing Iori's weird, pointy hairstyle.

Iori threw his foot outwards, slamming the tip of his shoe into Leona's ribcage. That one froze her solid; the next two punches came far too easy and dropped her where she stood.

"Damn... she's just not in it!" Whip cursed.

Leona groaned weakly, reduced to crawling on her hands and knees. Iori was slowly approaching on his feet, cracking his knuckles with a stern face. He looked like he was looking to finish things... but Leona still had one trick up her sleeve.

With a swift wave of her hand, Leona snatched the earring from her lobe and tossed it at Iori's feet. Anyone who fought with Leona knew she had some gadgets... and her earrings were definitely not for show.

BOOM!

"What the fu...?!" Iori cursed aloud as he was thrown off his feet by the explosion, landing on his butt but managing to spring up quickly. But as soon as he was upright... Leona was already on him.

SLASLASH!

Iori's skin screamed out with pain, his nerves flaring as his shirt was ripped, his flesh feeling the illusion of getting split open. Leona was an artist in her trade: she managed to make Iori feel the full pain of getting cut without ACTUALLY cutting him. It was uncanny how good she was at it... pretty scary, really.

Now shirtless and pissed off from pain, Iori roared with a monstrous bellow and met Leona head-on. She tried to thrust her fingers into him... but Iori extended his palm and literally stopped her stabbing attack with his bare hand, like stopping a knife. Leona's eyes widened a bit; she could hardly believe the soft of his palm actually managed to block her spear. It seems, in the department of unnatural hands, Iori was her equal...

Iori shoved her hand aside. With a ferocious roar, he obliterated her chin with a left hand so powerful, his entire body twisted as he threw it. The smallest hint of purple embers could be seen floating from his fist, quickly dissipating in mid-air.

Leona's chin was officially cracked; as she hit the ground, several attempts to get back up were in vain. Finally, after stumbling back to the ground for the fourth time... she cursed with annoyance and lay still, allowing the spinning of her equilibrium to sort itself out.

 **WINNER: IORI YAGAMI**

"Agh... urgh..." Leona groaned as she clutched her head. Everything was still blurry; she couldn't see Iori in front of her, but she could feel him lifting her up to her feet. Upon standing upright, she immediately stumbled into his arms.

"Easy. I hit you pretty f***ing hard." Iori soothed in his weird way.

Leona sighed as she rested her face against his chest. Although she was bummed out to lose, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. She wasn't really into the tournament anymore after going Riot, anyway. But she had to admit... fighting Iori was fun. For a moment there, she DID feel that fire again. If she had actually won... she might have felt differently about everything.

"Iori..." Leona called his name, head still on his chest. "Did you fix things so we would fight?"

Iori gave a scoff-like chuckle. "I did you a favor. You were gonna fight emo boy."

Yagami wasn't sure what reaction to expect from those words. Annoyance? Maybe Leona felt cheated. Thanks? Maybe she was grateful he performed that gesture for her, since she was in such an awkward phase right now.

No... he got a much different reaction than mere words and emotions.

The next thing he knew, no longer was that blue mop of hair against his chest. Leona was in his face, eyes closed, her lips upon his as she tenderly held his face. As many precious seconds as she held that kiss... the flustered Iori never had a chance to kiss back.

Before he could recover from the paralyzation, Leona had already pulled away. "Can I crash in your room?"

It took a few seconds before Iori could form the words. "I'll join you."

"Sorry Iori, I need you here." Chizuru suddenly stepped in, shutting down this potential retreat. "You can go, Leona. Congrats on making it this far."

With a nod, Leona walked away. They could have sworn there was disappointment on her face.

 **Welp, that's over. Only one fight left before the semifinals. Well, that, and a little surprise. Then maybe we'll switch over to ol' Heidern and see how the A Team is doing.**

 **Let me just throw this out there... this story is almost over. Seriously. The final battle will come a lot quicker than you think it will. 5 fighters will become 4 and then... hohoho... who knows what I'll do? : )**

 **Thank you all for your tremendous support. I couldn't ask for more. You guys lift my spirits to the high heavens. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.**

 **NEXT CHAPTER: Geese saves the best for last! Also, will Betty drag Ash back to the Coliseum by his hair? Stay tuned.**


	34. Chapter 34: Quarterfinals, pt 3

**A lot had to happen in this one, so I could get to next week. It probably won't overwhelm you, though. It's not that bad... about three bases to cover. Enjoy.**

That boy... he had compromised her once again. There was nobody, not a single soul in the myriad of universes across the galaxy, who could melt the ice-cold Elisabeth like he could.

She had a pick-and-choose of emotions right now: confused, angry, relieved, flustered... to try and solve such an equation would put even the most sophisticated brains on ice.

No... there was only one way to handle this: direct confrontation. She had just witnessed Ash Crimson be vulnerable again, and that was her opening to close in on him and demand the truth.

What drives his mind? What compels him to act in such manners? What is his ultimate purpose in life? She had to know these answers, because they would once and for all determine... if she could ever have him back.

"Ash. Open up. Please."

Elisabeth's voice wasn't assertive, authoritative, intimidating... it was as solemn as she could ever be towards that kid.

It took a few moments for the door to his suite to open, but finally it did. Ash was already out of his clothes, a modest towel wrapped around his waist, his hair sopping wet all around him.

"...Betty. What a surprise." he immediately went into playful mode, flashing a smile.

"Can I come in?"

"Hm... well, I don't see why not. You should really try out my hot tub~"

"Later."

With a shrug, Ash opened the door wide and allowed her through. As Elisabeth walked in, he shut the door behind them and beckoned her to sit down. They both just decided to sit on the nearest bed: Ash's.

"...What was that back there?"

Ash looked down, fiddling with his finger, smiling to try and hide the fact that this conversation was turning solemn.

"Oh, you saw that? Heh... of course you did You were glaring daggers at me. I thought you would pierce my heart with that gaze..."

Elisabeth's eyes narrowed. "You gave me no reason to believe you weren't going to hurt that girl. I thought I was prepared to leap from those stands and strike you down, but I... I froze up."

Ash smiled. "I guess we're both conflicted about ourselves. You froze because you don't want to hurt m-"

"I froze because I'm tired of this!" Elisabeth snapped back. "I...I...I don't want to do this with you anymore Ash. I'm sick of having to oppose you, sick of having to... grrrr..."

"...Look at me the way you do?"

Elisabeth picked her head up: Ash was staring at her, the playful smirk no longer on his lips... but a solemn expression. Perhaps, for the first time in a long time... this was Ash at his most serious.

When Elisabeth didn't respond, Ash continued. "Now you know why I froze too. When I saw your eyes... it didn't instill any amount of confidence in me. You broke me."

"Does this mean you're back to normal?" Elisabeth too-eagerly asked. "That you were in the right this whole time? That you really DID do what you did just to stop Sai-"

"I wouldn't go that far." Ash interrupted. He hung his head low, his hands slowly sliding upwards... to clutch his head in confusion.

"Th-the truth is... I don't even know. And it scares me! I... I'm scared, Betty."

"Well I'm scared too." Elisabeth fired back. "Scared of losing you forever."

Ash scoffed. "Maybe it'd be better if you did los-"

"NO!"

Ash nearly leaped out of his towel at the sound of that abrasive yell. Elisabeth was in his face, eyes once again with that same fury she inspired back at the Coliseum.

"You are NOT leaving me again! Not after all the shit you put me through! You left me! You left me alone back then and I..I..."

...That sentence was never finished, as the words were replaced by a squeaky, broken sigh. Elisabeth buried her face in her hands, perhaps as a means to hide her sorrow... but it looked more like fatigue.

"...I want things to be like they were, Ash." Elisabeth whispered in a defeated voice. "I can't do this anymore with you. You've put me through so much pain, so much grief... you've sucked the life out of me."

Ash snuck his hand under Elisabeth's chin without her permission; she immediately slapped it away, but his hand once again persisted until it rested there. He slowly lifted... until he saw her face marred by tears.

"...Things can never be the same, Betty." Ash whispered, his voice tickling her close proximity. "I'm a man now. I've discovered things. I realize now... how lovely you are. I realize that you're the most important thing to me. And I quite painfully learned back there... I never want you look at me like that again."

"So what are you saying... all of a sudden you love me because I glared at you?" Elisabeth retorted. She reached up to wipe a tear... but Ash stopped her hand and pressed his own thumb there instead to dab the moisture away.

"You penetrated me, Betty." Ash replied softly. "You pierced by murky, gray heart with your radiance. You opened my eyes. I'm looking at you right now... and it makes the pain go away. You...y-you're all I need in the world. If I can possess you, Betty... what need do I have for all the power in infinity?"

"How do I know you're being serious?"

"...Look into my eyes."

Elisabeth did just that... and her heart melted. God, those precious sapphires... she remembered when he was a little boy, and he followed her everywhere, eyes full of wonder and awe as they had the time of their young lives. Those eyes... a return to a simpler time. A time Elisabeth would give anything to return to.

...No. Scratch that. She couldn't go back. If she did... Ash wouldn't look as beautiful as he did now.

"...You can have me." Elisabeth whispered, pressing her forehead against his. "On one condition."

"Anything." Ash pleaded

"...Never. NEVER. Leave me again."

Ash tackled her backwards, lips crashing onto lips with equal force. His hands didn't so much unbutton her shirt than RIP it open, all of the buttons popping out in one fell swoop.

Elisabeth drank in those azure orbs as they stayed locked onto her, mesmerizing, entrancing... sucking her soul out of her body and entwining it with his own. She wasn't even in control of her own body, as Ash lay on top of her and explored... every wasted minute they spent apart, being made up in real time.

She closed her eyes... and surrendered to Ash's avarice. The boy who sought, desired, coveted... so too had she been captured in his grasp. But this time, was of her own volition; to keep him close, enshroud him with her guidance, her protection... to never again let him stray... she would surrender everything to him, even flesh and blood.

 **QUARTERFINALS FIGHT #5: GEESE HOWARD VS NEO DIO**

Geese was all smiles as he walked into the combat zone. The audience was screaming his name; even the fighters in the stands, some who shared some awful past with him, seemed to be rooting for Geese over the mysterious alien stranger.

"Man... I can't believe I'm rooting for Geese." Mai spoke those words with a sour tone, as if those very words were foul-tasting on her lips.

"I'm just as surprised as you are, babe." Andy shook his head as he too seemed disgusted to agree with her.

Terry was the only one silent; he had his eyes a bit more carefully focused than the others. Perhaps he felt a certain tinge of responsibility for Geese being here... like he had given Geese a chance that he didn't want to see wasted. Geese did beat him fair and square... but Terry still felt that he was the reason Geese made it here.

"Cmon Geese! Break a leg!" Ryo jeered. "And an arm! Some ribs! Maybe rupture your liver while you're at it!"

"I was generous to Geese the last time when he fought that crazed serial killer." Robert affirmed. "No more. It's about time Geese got knocked off his exalted throne."

"True dat, Robbie darling." Yuri seconded. "Go alien man!"

"...Something looks different about this... Dio..." Takuma noticed, a hand on his chin.

Indeed, Dio was distinctly different-looking this time around, and Geese noticed it too. The more subtle difference was that his body seemed to be a bit more defined: taller, thicker frame, more sophisticated musculature. The blades protruding from his elbows were slightly longer. His hair was a bit longer as well.

...But the GLARING difference, which anyone with eyes could notice... was his color had completely changed. Whereas he once had a sky blue body... he now glistened with a golden pigment, as if he was entirely comprised of the precious metal. Furthermore, his once-blue hair now looked more like a live flame upon his head, as it was that perfect shade of scarlet to look like a roaring fire. Lastly, the once-amber gem on his forehead was now a sapphire, a beautiful contrast to the red of his hair.

"...Didn't you used to be blue?" Geese finally broke the ice with the most obvious question.

Dio had no response; he just stood there with his arms folded. He didn't have that corpse-like aura about him like a clone... it was more like he just didn't care about whatever Geese had to say.

Geese rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. I'm curious to see what color you bleed."

 **FIGHT!**

Geese charged at Dio with no restraint, no reservation, not even a grain of strategy. He was overcome with a euphoria: a high of confidence, of superiority. He felt like, after besting Terry Bogard, not even the gods themselves had an excuse to stop him from winning it all.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Dio stood still, arms folded, awaiting Geese to approach... and all at once, he sprung into action. Lunging deep to time Geese's arrival, he drove every inch of his fist into the soft of Geese's stomach, almost like sinking into quicksand with how deeply he dug into the meat.

The audience gasped. Chizuru was on her feet. The fighters in the stands leapt up. Geese just stood there a second...eyes close to popping. Was he in pain? Maybe he just couldn't believe how hard he just got hit... or maybe it was his overwhelming pride bottoming out.

"Oh my god... how is he still standing..." Mai gasped.

Geese snarled and came forward; he threw an aggressive right hand, but his knuckles smacked against Dio's forearm... and he nearly cried out in pain. It felt like punching a slab of solid steel...!

Geese withdrew his hand, shaking it rapidly to "air it out", then quickly switched to a low kick. His foot soared towards Dio's calf, intending to strike it hard and throw the alien off... but Dio lifted his leg to check it, and Geese let out the most uncomfortable hiss of pain when his foot crashed into the alien's shin.

The Coliseum was screaming with shock as Geese stumbled backwards, nearly incapable of standing on the foot he just attacked with. He kept trying to posture up... but his foot would give out beneath him each time and he hunched over.

"What... the... f-fu...ck..."

Geese was in disbelief; did he just get struck with a lead pipe? That's what it felt like: either that, or an aluminum bat smashing his ankle. Even now, as he stood for several seconds, attempting to wait it out... the pain flared so prominently that he was silently begging for the numbness to take effect.

It didn't matter; adrenaline was flooding. He would forget this pain and fight on... this was his destiny to win.

Geese barreled forward with a 1-2; Dio parried his left, but Geese faked him out with the right by snatching his wrist instead. With his left, he grabbed Dio's chest, lifted him high above his head, and flung him outwards. This was Geese's strategy for when strikes failed; stay in the clinch, and use his grappling to create distance once again.

Dio flew quite a ways from Geese's powerful throw, but he somersaulted and landed on his feet without trouble. He looked ahead; Geese was already coming at him again.

"RRRRRAH!"

Geese drew his palm back; his chi manifested, gathering at one focal point, until it swirled with a huge, glowing yellow aura within his grasp. He let his palm loose, striking Dio in the chest with a blow so mighty, the Coliseum seemed to shake from the impact.

He saw Dio's teeth clench; that must have hurt him! He couldn't hide it.

Geese cackled as he snatched Dio's left arm, spun around, back facing him, swept his foot... and flipped Dio over his head. His plan was to toss Dio in the dirt and tenderize him with ground n' pound.

...Unfortunately, Dio had other plans. He somersaulted mid-flip and landed on his feet, his arm still in Geese's grasp; Geese was now holding a live threat right in front of him.

Geese was caught looking as Dio forcefully tugged his arm downwards, bringing his head lower. His leg soared high and blasted the everloving crap out of his face. Geese's grip loosened all at once, the blonde man stumbling backwards like a drunken hobo in an alley.

"Oh shit! BOSS!' Billy cried.

Dio relentlessly pursued him, throwing a murderous body hook that sucked Geese's gut inwards. When the blonde man hunched over in agony, Dio grabbed his face, pushed his head backwards... and punished his midsection a second time with a solid forearm to his ribcage.

Dio didn't stop there; he held Geese's head in place, drew back his left arm... and let it soar upwards with peak propulsion, uppercutting Geese so hard he spat blood before he even hit the ground.

"GEESE! Jesus, he's killing him!" Mai squealed.

"Well, eh... I'm not as shaken up as I should be." Joe admitted.

"Joe! You asshole!" Mai retorted.

"What? Have we forgotten Geese is our mortal enemy?"

"...Get up."

Everyone turned and looked at Terry; his eyes were still looking, not tearing away even once. He forcefully bit his thumb, nearly leaning so far his butt slid off the seat. He continued to mutter the same words, over and over...

"Get... up. Get... up."

Against medical well-being, Geese DID get back up. He was breathing, mouth open, having to spit blood every few seconds... but he still seemed raring to go. His savage eyes still remained locked on Dio, whose face wore the most disturbing of indifference.

"Oh my god, Geese..." Chizuru softly cried.

Geese's body glowed blue as he unleashed several Reppukens, more quantity over quality, really; he was just hoping one would actually hit. Sadly, Dio's titanium blade arms cleaved through each one and he was upon Geese again in no time.

Geese didn't even have time to curse his lack of a plan, before his head was sent rolling by a vicious right. A left hand smacked it back the other way, and he was feeling like a punching bag at this point. He tried to counter with an elbow... but Dio unleashed a new move from his arsenal.

"WRYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

The Coliseum gave a terrified gasp as Dio grabbed Geese by the head and threw him into the sky. Even MORE disturbing... was when Dio sprouted dragon wings, soared up there, caught Geese, and spiked him into the earth, all in one fluid motion, before the bewildered audience could even question how Dio was capable of these things.

Geese's body hit the ground. Dio landed right beside him, not even breaking a sweat, as the dragon wings he magically sprouted dissolved back into his person.

"Jesus, STOP THE FIGHT!" Billy demanded.

"B-but I... Geese will be mad..." Chizuru tried to argue.

"I don't care!" Billy fired back. "The boss can take it out on me later! Just stop this!"

"I...I can't."

"Grrrrr! Shit...!"

Billy was silent after that failed attempt. Perhaps because even HE knew... Geese would never allow it.

The fight continued on at the same brutal pace; Geese was on the shakiest of feet, spitting blood every second, his face so swollen it was barely recognizable. What was he thinking at this moment? Did he still believe he was destined to win? Did he actually stand there with the belief that he could still overcome this fight?

Dio didn't care what Geese thought. The alien man wasn't even using his hands anymore; he fought Geese effortlessly with his arms folded. To him, Geese was just another broken plaything: another failed test.

Geese swung with the most pitiful punches; Dio lazily moved his head out of each one before countering with a kick to the body. Geese groaned weakly as he retreated; Dio kept throwing them: left, right, left... he would mix up each kick, going to the legs, the knees, the stomach, the chest, the face... no part of Geese was spared.

Geese spit a huge stream of blood and fired a kick of his own; Dio met his leg mid-swing and stomped his kneecap, instantly shutting down Geese's kick halfway. The man buckled, falling to the ground; this looked like the end.

"Humans are so fragile." Dio taunted. "Their flesh rends so easily. Their blood spills with the slightest touch. How could such weak things inherit the Earth? You're no different than the flies buzzing around, the ants crawling. The rulers of this planet amount to mere insects. What a pathetic existence."

"Cough cough cough... HACCCK!" Geese coughed forcefully, expelling blood each time. He spat a few times, slowly easing himself back up... wiped his lips... and smiled.

"Heh heh... this is MY world." Geese laughed. "You want it? Then take away my crown. I dare you. I double dare you, you f***ing FREAK."

His insult fell on blissfully uncaring ears. Dio's face didn't change in the slightest.

Geese got a running start. He charged at Dio once again, perhaps for the last time of this fight, perhaps the last time EVER in combat. From his lungs, his battle cry was a testament to this reality. He knew this was the end; this moment was the epitome of his entire career, his entire life as a martial artist. This was his final moment. He would give everything, EVERYTHING... and finally rest.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

 **SLASH!**

The Coliseum screamed when it happened. They witnessed it, plain as day; the blade cleaving his side like butter, his blood spilling, shining brightly on the ground on this sunny day. They witnessed Geese fall over, and more red leak from his torso... and lastly... they witnessed Dio standing there, leg still raised, blood dripping from his foot where he had morphed it into a sharp weapon and drove it through Geese's flesh.

"GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!" Chizuru squealed. She teleported out there like someone was being held at gunpoint. Even the fighters in the stands had started to spill out, swarming the combat zone, gathering around to see if Geese Howard himself had finally kicked the bucket. Maybe some of them even wanted violent retaliation against Dio; too bad the alien was gone before they could have the pleasure.

 **WINNER: NEO DIO**

"OUT OF THE WAY DAMMIT!" Billy shoved past people violently. He even plowed into Chizuru, knocking the woman down in his haste to approach Geese. He threw his staff down, nearly tossing the thing like a javelin so he could fall to his knees and scoop up Geese.

"BOSS! TALK TO ME! BOSS! BOSS!"

"...Is he finally dead?" Mr. Big chimed in at an inopportune moment.

"SHUT YOUR BALD ASS UP!"

Chizuru was a good sport about being forcefully shoved aside; she too knelt down beside Billy, placing a hand on Geese's afflicted area to put pressure on the wound.

"Aghhhhhhh...!"

That low moan of anguish was a good sign; Geese was alive, and amazingly still conscious from a pain that would surely make lesser men pass out.

"Oh thank God. Talk to us Geese!" Chizuru desperately requested.

Geese let out some painful, raspy coughs before taking a deep, labored breath... probably from pain and fatigue than being on his deathbed.

"Urrrrrgh... cough cough... was that... all I had in me? COUGH COUGH... ugh..."

"You gave it your all, Geese. You can retire content." Terry Bogard solemnly stated, even kneeling down for his mortal enemy.

"Bogard... cough cough... you must hate me for losing." Geese wheezed. "If that was you out there... you probably... could have won... cough cough cough..."

"Shut up, Geese. Humble doesn't suit you." Terry fired back.

Chizuru frowned. "I should really disqualify that guy. He nearly killed you."

That actually produced a hearty, albeit uncomfortable laugh from Geese.

"Hahahahahaha... COUGH COUGH COUGH! Disqualify him? Ha! Don't be such a bitch, Chizuru."

"Geese..." Chizuru defied.

"I mean it." Geese was a bit more serious, although still grinning. "He's staying. Now... meet me at the hospital, will ya?"

Chizuru smiled. "I'll be down there with you in a while. First, we have to get rid of the fifth man."

"Dress sexy for me." Geese laughed, a final taunting blow at Chizuru before the paramedics loaded him on a stretcher and stuffed him in the ambulance. Billy quickly leaped inside the back before the doors shut.

Terry removed his cap, scratching his head... he had to admit, it was a strange feeling. For the longest time he wanted to kill Geese: in fact, he nearly succeeded on one occasion. But seeing Geese get sliced through like that... it didn't feel good. It didn't feel righteous, satisfying... not even a hint of pleasure in seeing Geese bleed like that. That was all the proof Terry needed to know, deep inside, he had truly evolved over the years. He wasn't a naive kid, but a man now... and Geese no longer affected him as long as he chose to make it so.

* * *

"CAN I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTION PLEASE!" Chizuru's voice boomed into the microphone as the Coliseum slowly fell silent, the noise of the audience fading with each second until the final murmurs stopped.

"First of all... GIVE IT UP FOR THE FINAL FIVE!"

The walls shook like thunder as they screamed for the finalists: Ash Crimson, Kyo Kusanagi, K' Dash, Iori Yagami... even Dio was present for this little ceremony. The blood was still eerily on his foot where he had fashioned it into a blade and ran through Geese's side.

"Heh. I didn't expect any different." Kyo arrogantly boasted.

"I seriously can't decide whose ass I want to kick first. I want to get to all of you." Iori growled.

K' was silent.

Dio was silent.

Ash was silent as well, but a bit more animated than the previous two. He had his usual devilish smirk on his lips as he flicked his hair with both hands and struck a pose, hands on his hips.

"ALRIGHT! QUIET PLEASE!" Chizuru settled them down. "Okay... as you well know, we can't carry on the tournament with five people. Therefore... five must become four. NOW THEN... PLEASE LOOK AT THE MONITOR!"

Every eye in the coliseum turned to the giant screen: the face of the five finalists were plastered, along with a question mark box... and two empty boxes.

"Now then... it's time for the special elimination round." Chizuru announced. "Here's the rules: two of the finalists will be randomly selected to compete in a bonus fight. The loser is out of here."

That little bomb produced some gasps from the Coliseum: a collective outcry of shock that spread through like a passing wave.

The fighters in the stands also had some feedback.

"Holy shit, no way!" Benimaru exclaimed.

"So two of em will have to fight again. Harsh..." Andy noted.

"Do they at least get a break? Maybe a cold drink?" Yuri inquired.

"If Gold Alien Man gets picked, I wonder if his performance will be diminished. He just fought." Goro pointed out.

"I doubt it. He looks fresher than ever!" Shingo added.

"No matter who gets picked, this is gonna be a tough one for them." Ryo declared.

"ONE MORE THING..." Chizuru continued. "The loser will indeed be eliminated... but the WINNER... reserves the right to fight last and choose his opponent in the semifinals."

Iori flashed a huge, bloodthirsty grin upon hearing those words. This was perfect for him. PERFECT. If he could just get matched up with Kyo and beat him, then next he could choose...

"WITHOUT FURTHER ADO... TIME TO PICK THE TWO FIGHTERS FOR THIS BONUS BOUT!"

Silence filled the air, not a single word, a single peep; finally, the giant screen began it's random shuffle. The left box was first, scrolling through the five finalists in real time at an incredibly fast rate, so fast that it looked like a jumbled mishmash of their portraits as they blurred by.

Finally... the first face was revealed:

 **IORI YAGAMI**

The red haired man's heart began to quicken. Yes... this was it... what he was waiting for! 75 fighters he had clawed through... not a single one filling the void of violence burning deep in his wretched, rotten core. He could feel it... gnawing at him... screaming for the blood of his enemies to stain his fingers. HE NEEDED THIS.

As his eyes stayed glued to that right box, the ends of his mouth curved upwards wider and wider. His eyes opened more with each second, until they stretched so wide the breeze stung against his bare eyeballs.

Finally... at long last... the other face was revealed:

 **ASH CRIMSON**

"Heh heh heh... heh heh...ha ha... hahaha... hahahahaa... HA HA HA... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Iori's body bent unnaturally backwards as he cackled to the heavens above. Finally... his efforts had been rewarded. It was such a relief, such a blissful feeling... he could feel his body letting go, almost losing himself in his euphoria...

"This works out for me too. Ohhh ho ho ho. YOU ARE SOOOOO FUUUUCKING DEEEEEEEEEEAD..." he was borderline singing.

Ash wasn't bothered by the utterly creepy, threatening demeanor of Iori. In the face of his maniacal bloodlust... Ash merely smiled.

 **SPECIAL ELIMINATION ROUND: IORI YAGAMI VS ASH CRIMSON**

"...Chizuru."

Kagura walked over there to meet the concerned face of Kyo: a face much similar to the one she herself was wearing.

"You see it too?" she asked.

"Yeah... he does NOT look good."

"You think he might...?"

"Oh yes."

"...Should we evacuate the Coliseum?"

"I don't... gaah... I don't know yet. I want to believe Iori wouldn't be stupid enough to let his emotions get out of control, but-"

"But nothing." Chizuru interrupted. "He's wanted to get his hands on Ash for a long time. Orochi's gonna claw at those emotions... supplement them. Manifest them. Unleash them. This isn't gonna end well."

"...Then tell me what we should do, Chizuru."

"I don't... I don't know any better than you do."

In the combat zone, the tension was visible. Iori's body seemed to struggle just to stay still; he was shaking so much, he could spew like a soda. His eyes were so bloodshot, the red overshadowed the white. His teeth clenched so hard together, there was concern they may actually break in his mouth. He tried to raise his fists... but everytime they stretched outward, they would withdraw back to his head and chest instead.

On the other side, Ash looked not the least bit concerned about his imminent death. He had a glazed look in his eyes, borderline devoid of passion towards this whole situation. His fingers casually lifted a lock of hair and repeatedly smoothed it out, almost like an unconscious habit. Iori Yagami was wearing his emotions on his ravenous sleeves... whereas Ash was a more intricate puzzle in all this.

"Y... you... guuugh... gurrrghhhh... YOUUUUUUUU..." Iori hissed out his words with venom. His eyes quivered as they struggled to even focus forward on his enemy.

 _ **Kill...Kill...Kill...**_

"Mm, you don't look too good Yagami." Ash teased. "Don't tell me you're actually bearing a grudge against me for what I did, you simpleton."

"Grrrghk... GAAAAAhhhh... ahhhh... you stole... the Yasakani Jewel... from me!" Iori grunted out. "That is unforgivable! UNFORGIVABLE!"

 _ **KILL...KILL...**_

"Well at least I gave it back." Ash replied with a goofy grin. "I could have been an asshole and done much worse things with it. Ah, but the way things turned out... you really are lucky, Yagami. You shouldn't hate me. You should THANK me."

"Th... thuhhh... THANK... YOU?!"

 _ **KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...**_

"Well, yeah." Ash smirked. "I saved the world with your jewel, believe it or not. Without your power, I never would have been able to kill Saiki like I did. That's the only reason I did it, honest."

"BULLSHIT!" Iori howled. "You loved every second of it... that makes you no better than him! You're... you're just Saiki 2.0. I should kill you... kill you and end the world of your presence... grrrrragggggghhhhh..."

"Don't presume to have me figured out. I'm much more complicated than that." Ash grinned. "Tell you what, Yagami: go ahead and unleash. Let out all that nasty anger you have on me. Beat me to a pulp. Do whatever it takes to satisfy your narrow, pea-sized, simple mind. The truth is, you have no bearing on my life whatsoever. I could hurt you, betray you, step over your fallen body, and I wouldn't go on caring any more than I do now. That's how little you matter in the grand scheme of things."

 _ **KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...**_

"Hee hee hee... sorry, but them's the breaks." Ash shrugged. "You should really just be more mature about things. I mean, look at Chizuru: I used her powers a while ago, and she's not trying to rip my head off."

 _ **KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...**_

"Just accept your place in the great cosmic picture. I stole your jewel, murdered a madman, and now I can make pretty purple-tipped flames if I want. Sometimes I have to whip them out, just because they're such candy to look at. Thank you for that wonderful gift, Iori~"

 **KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL**

Kyo and Chizuru looked away in terror as Iori was officially set off.

"GUUGH... GURRRGH... HAAAAUGH... HUUUGH... HRRRR... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Chizuru activated the forcefield defenses like their lives depended on it. In this case... it probably did.

 **And that's a wrap for this week! Now... what should I do next? Maybe I'll let you vote. Do you want Iori vs Ash? Or... the assault on the NESTS/WAREZ base? Depending on who all bothers to comment, maybe I'll take your opinions into consideration. Who knows though... maybe I'll just decide to lean one way on my own.**

 **NEXT WEEK: Iori goes ballistic on Ash! OR... the Clone War has begun!**


	35. Chapter 35: Unleashed

**Fun fact... desolance is not a word. I don't know why. The word makes perfect sense. Doesn't it?**

"Oh heavenly father. Oh sweet son of Mary. W-we... we gotta stop this! W-weeee we gotta... ahhhh..."

As Chizuru had the epitome of a nervous breakdown where she stood, dancing like she was about to piss her pants, that panic started to trickle onto Kyo as well. As cool as he usually was... even HE was starting to get a little restless in his bodily movements, from the sheer indecisiveness of what to do about the enormous pickle right in front of them.

Iori was in full Riot. He was amped up, pissed off, BRIMMING with unholy power. He was coming at Ash with fangs bared, claws raised, a raging purple inferno coursing through his bloodstream, fueling each blow to ungodly proportions. He could wreck this whole Coliseum. Maybe the forcefields shielding the audience wouldn't even be enough...

"Let's get out there. FAST." Kyo urged.

With a panicked nod, Kyo and Chizuru started to sprint out to the combat zone... but against all that was logical, a voice ceased their advance.

"DON'T STOP THIS FIGHT!" Ash shouted, a maniacal grin on his lips as he continued to dodge each slashing strike via Yata Mirror phase-shifting.

"ASH, ARE YOU CRAZY? HE'LL KILL YOU!" Chizuru wailed.

"Ahahahaha! He won't kill me." Ash giggled. "He can burn out his pathetic little body trying. I want him to try... try so very hard. I relish it. Let him come at me with everything!"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Iori's howl pierced the air as he swiped at Ash... only to strike a smirking after-image.

He relentlessly ran forward, constantly slashing left, right, left, right... but each Ash his claws cleaved through would simply vanish. He could hear that laugh: that pompous, effeminate giggle echoing all around him... buzzing in his ears... DRIVING HIM INSANE!

He wanted red. RED... EVERYTHING RED!

"GRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!"

"What the hell is happening out there? This stupid forcefield makes everything look blue." Benimaru grunted with annoyance.

"I think anyone with eyes can see what a rampaging Iori looks like. He's gone full Riot out there." Goro said those words with the illusion of calmness. Truth is, he was freaking out just as much as the rest; he kinda wanted to run away, for the sake of his wife and kids having a father...

"What's Kyo and Chizuru doing? They're just standing there!" Shingo exclaimed,

"They look scared shitless... like they don't know what to do." Benimaru noted.

That couldn't have been truer. Kyo and Chizuru had planned to race out there mindlessly, with all the instincts of preserving life on Earth. But when they saw Ash out there, determined to stand up to the monster, commanding them not to interfere... a mixture of emotions froze them in their tracks. Was it incomprehensible that someone could be this foolhardy? Perhaps they were silently praying Ash had the answers to deal with this and save the world from Iori's animalistic rage. Maybe even THANKFUL, that it was somebody else's problem and they were no longer inclined to step in.

Or maybe, deep in some dark recesses of their mind... they were hoping Iori would rip the kid apart and give him some much-needed justice.

Ash zoomed at him from the left and connected on his face with a flying kick. The sole of his shoe buried into Iori's face... and he used it as a spring to push off and bring his OTHER foot upwards to clock Iori in the chin. Ash stuck the landing in style, with a graceful backflip and a flick of his hair.

Iori's legs didn't even move: his upper torso ominously leaned backwards in recoil... only to stand back upright like a tree returning to its stature after a strong breeze. He rubbed his jaw for a second... and grinned with bloodlust.

"Huh. Guess that didn't hurt much." Ash noted in the most deadpan voice.

Iori showed Ash what a real strike looked like: faster than a flash, his fist found Ash's gut and sent him flying backwards like a piece of plastic in the wind. Before Ash could even groan in pain, his back impacted hard against the wall behind him.

"Agh... urrrrhhh..."

His hazy eyes looked forward; he hadn't even seen Iori go through the motions of an actual punch. There was no stepping forward, no drawing back of the arm and unleashing forward. Iori had simply completed a solid punch without even obeying the laws of the human body. Whatever dark, sinister power was brewing in him right now truly gave him the ability to do unnatural things.

Iori stalked forward, hunched over, entire body trembling... and his eyes were gone. All Ash could see in those specks of white were emptiness. A killing machine, devoid of compassion, mercy... remorse.

Ash got up and composed himself just in time to receive the full extent of Iori's onslaught. It was all the kid could do to move his head... each slash, with such savagery, such murderous intent behind them... if even one of those were to connect, he'd no longer have a head. The lingering effects of the Yata Mirror inside him were his saving grace right now, granting him the speed and trickery he needed to dodge each bloodlust-fueled slash.

Ash ducked a decapitating strike and curved his elbow upwards into Iori's chin. Iori didn't even recoil as he countered with a 1-2 that would've rended Ash to ribbons had he not phase-shifted through each one. As the after-images of Ash faded, the real deal was back in Iori's face and peppered his cheek with a combination of his own, going left-right before finishing with a spinning back kick to the stomach.

...But still, Iori didn't even back up from the strikes. He was sturdy as a statue.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Iori raised both arms above his head and swung them downward with a double hammer fist, cursed fire blazing in all directions from his skin. Ash hissed and leaped backwards, but was still caught just from the very shockwave of that explosive attack. Iori's strength was so surreal... the ground even cracked as his fists connected against it.

Ash rolled along the ground for a few seconds, but made a relatively quick recovery and thanked the lucky stars he didn't actually get hit by those murderfists.

"This is F***ED UP!" Shen Woo squealed, shaking Elisabeth forcefully as hysteria consumed him. "ASH IS GONNA DIE OUT THERE! WE GOTTA STOP THIS! D-DO SOMETHING!"

"Be quiet!" Elisabeth slapped his hand away, grabbed his shoulders and gave him a taste of his own medicine.

Shen Woo immediately straightened up, intimidated by her stone-cold assertiveness. "Y-yes ma'am."

"Now listen..." Elisabeth's voice was calmer now. "...We must believe in Ash. He knows what he's doing."

"Are you crazy? The kid's gone officially loco! He's got a death wish!" Shen Woo argued.

"Shen might be right." Duo Lon chimed in. "Ash has been acting very strange for a while now. Part of me thinks maybe... he could be trying to end it all."

"He's NOT." Elisabeth fired back. "Will you two just trust me? Ash isn't going to do anything he doesn't have confidence in. He's not going to throw his life away!"

"How can you be so sure?" Duo asked.

"Because I KNOW HIM."

"...Sounds like you two had a hell of a talk a while ago." Shen Woo grinned.

Elisabeth turned away, trying to hide her blush. "Y-yes... we did."

Ash was fast and loose, bouncing around, trying not to give Iori a clear target. Truthfully... he was starting to feel genuine fear at the capabilities of Iori in his Orochi-fueled state. He was such RAGE... such mindless, violence-driven lunacy... he could murder even women and children and not bat an eye.

"I must say, Yagami... this is not a good look for you." Ash teased, trying to stay light-hearted even in the midst of death himself. "Your skin is really something awful. You should try some moisturizer~"

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Iori screamed as he rushed in, preparing to slice this kid to bits. Ash popped him with a stiff jab; Iori walked right through it and swung at Ash with every ounce of his body. Ash ducked; Iori's swing was so wild, his body actually spun around completely. He took advantage of this, however, and came back around with a backhand. When that failed to connect, he went to Ash's body with a kick to end his combination: THAT one finally hit the platinum blonde, and sent his unfortunate body on a wild ride from Iori's insane strength.

Ash was a little banged up from tumbling through the dirt, but he dusted himself off and started launching projectiles. He fired a sweep kick, sending a green crescent-shaped fireball towards Iori's feet. He didn't stop there, transitioning into a spinning roundhouse that sent ANOTHER one towards Iori's head.

Sadly, Ash's current output was nowhere near close to matching the inferno that protected Iori. The two fireballs struck him dead-on... only to wither away with a puff.

"Well damn." Ash cursed. "Nothing seems to hurt you, does it big guy?"

Iori was beyond hearing. Even if he did understand Ash's words, his mind probably wasn't lucid enough to produce words in response. He merely stood there, hunching, snarling, a wild animal loose from his leash, with only the instinct to devour all that stood before him.

"This is bad." Duo Lon stated. "Nothing Ash has can hurt him. Neither strikes nor his flame power."

"What is that kid getting at? Why doesn't he bail?!" Shen Woo questioned.

Elisabeth focused her eyes carefully. "I don't know..."

Iori's fists blazed as he sent huge, TOWERING columns of flame towards Ash. The platinum-blonde cartwheeled out of their range... but the heat still made him break out in a sweat. So hot... it could melt his very bones if he made the mistake of touching it.

Ash tried to counter with his own fireball: this one with a hint of Yagami fire in it to fuel the power... but even then, Iori swatted the projectile away as if it was a buzzing fly.

"Sigh... oh Yagami... are you really going to make me do this?" Ash sighed.

Iori stepped forward; Ash immediately started to backpedal... but Iori would no longer allow it. No... this time, there would be no retreat for Ash Crimson.

The audience, the camera feed... all would be blinded as a huge, menacing ring of purple fire formed a perfect perimeter around the combat zone. It stood tall, blazing, far too potent to ever have a chance to get through. Thankfully, it resided within the confines of the forcefield... but this spelled trouble for one boy.

Ash was officially trapped. The kid looked around him: purple, purple, purple all around him. No retreat, no escape... this is where he would die.

"ASH! NO!" Elisabeth cried as she leaped out of the stands. She started to rush out there, only to get stopped by Duo.

"Elisabeth, stop! Those flames will melt you to nothing!"

Kyo and Chizuru were shocked back into action, running out there to the combat zone only to be stopped by the walls of flame Iori had spawned.

"We gotta stop him NOW." Kyo declared.

"How can we get through?"

"I... argh... I don't know. I guess I could try and..."

"You want your bones to be roasted? Don't go near it!"

"Well, what else can we do?!"

Chizuru closed her eyes... and looked down. "...There's nothing we can do. Ash is on his own."

His heart pounded so loud, he could actually hear it. He had to open his mouth just to breathe properly, as he looked all around him for a glimmer, a miracle of escape. But there was nothing. The heat was so unbearable... was this his personal Hell? He couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all: after all he had done, spending so many years walking the twilight road between light and dark... was this the Tartarus of his ultimate retribution? This was what he deserved. All the friends he betrayed, people he walked over, took advantage of in their most vulnerable moments... it would all come back to him in this ring of damnation. Here he faced death... and an executioner who couldn't have been more appropriate.

This was Hell... and Iori was the devil.

Despite all this, Ash managed a smirk as well as he ever did. If the kid was scared, he did a great job masking it behind a kittenish demeanor. No matter what, even if Iori would rip his heart from his chest... he wouldn't give anyone, even the Grim Reaper, the satisfaction of seeing him cry or beg. If he was going to die, he was ready.

...Or maybe... he smiled because he chose to DEFY fate?

"Your wrath is truly a spectacle to behold, Iori Yagami." Ash addressed his mute opponent. "You're a perfect machine. A single-minded entity whose only purpose is to inflict the greatest loss of life imaginable. Heh... Orochi chose his puppets well."

Iori snarled at him, probably not even hearing these words. He was already starting to come forward again...

"But you must know..." Ash continued, despite Iori's arrival. "You can never achieve godhood if you allow that power to control you. Just look at you: your mind has been consumed completely. You're a soulless vessel, drowned in the throes of madness. Heh, I wonder... if I kept going the way I did, would I turn out like you are right now? Ahahahahaha!"

Again, the words seemed to have no different effect; there was really no point in talking to Iori, as he was far beyond the realm of human coherence. He had his claws drawn back, preparing to unleash them on Ash once and for all... but the platinum blonde just smiled.

"Ah well. This has been fun, Yagami... but it's time to end this."

Iori couldn't have agreed more. His body blazed purple as his hand soared towards Ash's heart, preparing to deal the strike that would end things once and for all. Deep down... was this even what Iori wanted? It didn't matter; the man was far too gone to even have a conscience. If he willed Ash to die, he was going to die.

His attack was spot on; nothing the kid did, no maneuver or counter could avoid his hand ramming through his chest and ripping his beating heart from his breast.

...The next thing Iori knew, everything went black.

 **FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!**

It engulfed him all at once. Darkness, all around him... colorless, as far as the eye could see. An infinite abyss, devoid of light. Ash was gone; it was just Iori here, trapped in a torrent of nothingness.

 _ **"You brought this on yourself, Yagami. I wanted to save this for a special occasion... but what could be more special than saving my own skin? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!"**_

In the stands, nobody knew what the hell was going on. The combat zone had turned completely black, as if some unseen force sapped everything behind the forcefield of all color.

"What the hell? Everything went dark!" Benimaru screeched.

"Is Iori okay?" Goro questioned.

"I'd be more worried about Ash." Shingo mentioned.

Kyo and Chizuru were beyond confused at this point. The entire battle, they had been fighting with their own legs to run in there and put a stop to things. But now, after seeing everything enveloped in a sea of black... what could they do but stand there, dumbfounded?

"What the hell is going on in there, Kyo...?"

"That kid... he did something."

Iori showed no concern about the sudden emergence. The beast was still only focused on killing Ash, so he just wandered aimlessly through the darkness, snarling, growling, seeking out his prey. He had tried to activate his flame powers... but he found himself unable to manifest them. This atmosphere... it was stifling them. Some incredible opposing force was weighing him down, preventing his flames from staying lit...

As Iori skulked through infinite shade... a voice echoed out of nowhere.

 _ **"Heeheehee... welcome to my world, Yagami. This is eternal desolance. This is darkness's domain. Pretty, isn't it~?"**_

Iori predictably had no response; he just lumbered forward towards what he believed to be the source of the voice, to no avail.

 _ **"This is our little secret, you and I. This is my trump card. I've been meaning to use it for a while now, but I never found the right time. I'm not sure if you recognize what this is... do you? I could give you a hint."**_

Iori's response was no surprise.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

 _ **"Was that a yes? I'm gonna take that as a yes."**_

Suddenly, something finally appeared in the distance: two piercing sapphires. It was him!

Iori snarled as he started to approach the boy... but the next thing he knew, Ash came SOARING at him, his body emblazoned with a force devoid of all color.

Before he could land a single blow, Ash had passed beyond him... and he could feel the intensity as it coursed up him. He was engulfed in seconds, bathed in a colorless, unseen fire.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Iori's cry was one of anguish, as he collapsed to his knees under the force of this shadowy aura. He could feel his body quitting, his mind tortured, tormented by the madness around him. Everywhere he looked... nothingness.. oblivion... it was enough to turn his mind to mush!

 _ **"Oh dear. I can't keep this up any longer. I guess the secret's out! AHAHAHAHA!"**_

In an instant, the shroud engulfing the combat zone was lifted... and the whole world could see what resided within.

On one side, Iori Yagami lay flat on the ground, twitching. He seemed to be free of the Riot, as his eyes and skin tone had returned to normal. He was also making several realistic, human-like groans.

And standing before him... Ash Crimson, in the flesh. His uniform was no longer its usual red... but bearing the absence of color. His hair no longer contained the subtle shade of blonde... it was white as snow. But the most UNSETTLING feature... was the pitch-black miasma radiating all around him, replacing that of his usual bright green.

The only two things still normal were those beautiful azure eyes... and the playful smile on his lips.

"Oops. HI EVERYBODY~" he waved to the crowd with a goofy face, still just as whimsical and non-serious as he ever was.

 **WINNER: DARK ASH**

"...I can't even. I just can't f***ing even." Shen Woo breathed out, falling backwards where he stood. His butt actually missed his seat.

"What the...hell...Ash..." Shen Woo uttered, his voice containing no volume.

"Even now... he still has Saiki's powers." Elisabeth whispered. "D-does that mean... does that mean Saiki's still-"

"Look at him and tell me yourself." Duo Lon pointed out. "Same smile, same attitude... that's not Saiki. That's our Ash. I don't think there's even a trace of Saiki in there right now."

"So what, he managed to rid himself of Saiki's influence AND keep his powers as a souvenir? Haha! F***ing slick!" Shen laughed.

"Oh Ash..." Elisabeth uttered softly, eyes closing. "If you had all this power already... why did you want more?"

As Ash returned to his normal colors, Chizuru and Kyo walked out there to greet him. Their expressions were rather appropriate: shock, disbelief, a general confusion as to what the hell just happened. It would be a miracle if they could find words to speak.

"Soooooo... okay." Chizuru started, a few baby steps to get moving. "Ummm well... LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! ASH CRIMSON SURVIVES AND MOVES ON TO THE SEMIFINALS! IORI YAGAMI IS OUT!"

There was a notable mixture of cheers and boos, as many were forced to choose between what they thought was the lesser of two evils. Regardless of the mixed reception, Ash seemed full of glee as he bounced up and down, waving his arms to the crowd with joy on his face.

"Wooohooo! I did it! THIS IS FOR YOU BETTY! I LOVE YOUUUUUU~!"

Elisabeth's face turned red as a tomato as she spun around to hide from the world.

Chizuru had to shake her head a few times just to make sure this was reality, then she put the microphone to her lips and continued.

"OKAY, QUIET PLEASE! WILL THE OTHER THREE FINALISTS PLEASE APPROACH THE COMBAT ZONE!"

Since Kyo and Ash were already out there, they were just waiting on two more. K' was the first to appear; he had his hands in his pockets, shades removed... and he was staring Kyo down like he murdered a loved one.

Kyo stared right back at him, grinning; he could feel his insides flaring up with a pleasurable heat: the fire of an epic confrontation.

Finally, Dio arrived as well. It was surprising to see the alien actually obey, as he had been a no-show to practically EVERYTHING up to this point.

"Okay. Now listen up... you four are the semifinalists." Chizuru declared.

"Brilliant observation there." K' sassed.

"Now, because Ash won the special elimination fight, he has the right to choose his opponent. So, without further ado... make your choice, Ash."

Ash stood in front of the three, hand on his chin, grinning ear to ear as he paced left and right, scanning them... like he was picking out a toy at the toy store. Kyo just faced forward, not making eye contact. K' was more focused on Kyo, continuing to mean-mug him.

And Dio... Dio was the only one staring back. Those blue eyes maintained focus, not blinking, not wavering... almost like he was peering into Ash's very soul, wherever it was. As it would seem... someone had already decided FOR Ash.

"You will fight me."

This was not a request, but a command from the lips of Dio as he stepped forward and got in Ash's face, hovering over him with his impressive golden body.

Ash wasn't intimidated, merely grinning. "Oh? I don't believe you heard, Goldy, but the darling Mademoiselle there said I get to choose. ME. So don't go making demands to me."

Dio folded his arms. "I care nothing for the rules and standards put in place by weak humans. I am choosing to fight you... not the other way around. You are the only one I will face."

Ash cocked an eyebrow as his grin widened, showing teeth. "Heh! Well how kind of you to put little ol' me on such a pedestal! But I must ask... why me and not those two clowns?"

"I have witnessed their power, as I have witnessed yours." Dio stated. "Their pathetic strength pales in comparison to your own. That's why I'm choosing you... to represent the humans of this world."

Ash's face turned quizzically. "What the hell are you talking about, weirdo?"

Dio rolled his eyes. "Mark my words, Ash Crimson... you and I will put on the greatest battle this world has ever seen. I'm expecting great things from you."

With that response... Ash brought his fingers up and twirled his hair seductively.

"Well now, Monsieur Dio... you really know how to talk to a guy. Very well then. Your sales pitch has won me over. I choose... YOU~"

Chizuru placed the microphone to her lips, to finally put an end to this strange day.

"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! YOUR SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS! MAKE SURE TO COME BACK ON SUNDAY, NOT SATURDAY, TO WITNESS THE EPIC CONCLUSION OF KING OF FIGHTERS: ULTIMATE GRAND DREAM KUMITE!"

With those words, the Coliseum finally started to scatter. Fighters, audience, all left to go finally enjoy a day away from the action, away from the madness. Saturday would be a free day... and Sunday, they would come back to the Coliseum with their appetites whetted.

Little did they know, this "one day off" served another purpose... giving Heidern enough time to complete his mission and get everyone home safe.

* * *

From the time he left the Coliseum to the time he went back to the hotel, anyone and everything with a shred of wisdom knew to stay out of Iori Yagami's way. The only thing worse than an angry Iori... was an angry Iori who didn't get his way.

That's exactly what happened today. All his ambition, all his pent-up rage... it amounted to nothing. He failed to defeat Ash. And now... the chance to face even Kyo would be lost to him forever.

"Son of a shit-sniffing, ass-licking... piss face... punk... ass... f***ing... shit kicker... f***ing ass-gaping... f***wad..."

Every imaginable curse spilled from his unchained mouth as he stomped back to what would be the only solace he could find... his bed. Hopefully, Leona still in it.

...Wait. Leona was sitting OUTSIDE his door. What the hell...?"

"What the hell are you doing out here?" Iori asked as he rapidly approached where the blue-haired woman was just... sitting on her ass.

"Oh hey." she casually looked upwards. "I was snoozing on your bed, but two women kicked me out."

"Two...WOMEN?!"

"Yeah. I don't know how they got in."

"Oh, you've gotta be F***ING SHITTING ME...!"

Leona wisely scrambled away from the door, just in time to avoid it swinging open and shutting behind her.

"OKAY, WHAT THE F*** IS THIS?!"

The two women in question had made themselves quite comfortable in Iori's cozy digs: they weren't wearing any shoes, stockings... even pants. All they had left on their persons were their black, lacy undergarments and their respective red and white button-up tops... which were completely unbuttoned.

When the redhead and blonde both looked up and noticed Iori's rage-fueled face... they merely smiled and waved.

"HEYYYYYY~"

"Alright, no, no NO, AND MOST OF ALL, NO!" Iori screamed. "First you two bitches try to kill me, and now you're gonna wreck my f***ing room? GET OUT!"

"Kill you? What are you talking about?" Mature asked. "We just got here."

"Bullshit." was Iori's swift response. "I killed you two a night ago in self-defense."

Mature giggled. "Vice darling, I think our little Iori got into your shrooms again~"

Vice responded with a sultry chuckle. "Well I AM bad about leaving them around~"

Iori had to stop a second, put his hands over his eyes... and count a few. He wasn't sure how high: maybe high enough to open his eyes and see them gone. Unfortunately, he wasn't God; he couldn't just will away the two pesky specters of the teammates he once killed. Here they were, laying on his bed... and they looked like they weren't going anywhere.

"Okay, I'll bite... what are you two doing here? If that wasn't you a night ago, then what the hell... ah it doesn't matter. Why are you two here?!"

Mature rolled over on her stomach and stuck her ass in the air, wiggling it playfully. "We came for you~"

"We were lonely." Vice cooed, also striking a rather seductive pose as she was spread out on her side, running her hand smoothly down her bare leg.

"How can you two ever be lonely? You're never apart!" Iori groaned.

"Cmon, Yaggy... don't play dumb." Mature gave a sultry giggle after those words. "You know sometimes we get to missing you SO bad, we have to return to Earth and pay you a little visit~"

"And when we noticed you playing with that Leona girl... hmph! You nearly broke our hearts." Vice pouted.

"I wish I COULD break your hearts. Literally." Iori snarled. "If you two were alive, I'd crush your sternums with my bare hand again and again and again."

"Tch. No you wouldn't." Mature grinned. "You regret killing us. Deep down, in that messed up little heart... you know we were your favorites. Just like you're OUR favorite~"

"That's right~" Vice's voice ambushed Iori's ears and, next thing he knew, he was thrown on the bed by her uncanny strength.

"H-hey! What are you... g-guhhh..."

Iori was at a loss for words as the two female specters started caressing him. Even though they weren't flesh and blood... they had enough power to make themselves solid beings for quite an extended period of time.

"Now listen up, and listen good, Yagami." Mature whispered in his ear, her hand creeping down his waist. "No matter how many years pass, no matter how old you get... we're yours, forever and always. And you... you belong to US."

"We love you, Yagami." Vice added, leaning down to plant a little kiss on his cheek. "We still don't bear any hard feelings for what you did to us. At least now, we can be with you for all eternity and stay young and beautiful~"

Iori tried to repel their advances... but deep down, he knew it was no use. He knew Mature and Vice too well...and this actually wasn't the first time this happened. It happened a LOT more than Iori gave credit for.

"Why can't you two ever just leave me alone..." Iori sighed. "Leona's a really great girl, and I want her in-"

"Ah ah ah!" Mature forcefully silenced Iori with a finger to his lips. "No talk of that 'other' girl. We're your ladies tonight, Yaggy. Only us~"

"Grrr! Why don't you two just f*** each other like you always do!" Iori screeched.

"Because sometimes we get tired and want to change things up a bit~" Vice winked as she ripped open his shirt and started trailing down his torso with kisses.

"Now... this is going to happen, Iori." Mature cooed. "We have to remind you that nobody will ever love you like we do. So just lay back... and get comfy~"

"Gaaah! NO! I SAID NO! YOU TWO ARE SERIOUSLY COCKBLOCKING ME RIGHT NOW! STOP! STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

Needless to say, Mature and Vice managed to take Iori's mind off his woes. They could do it like nobody else could. In every sense of the words.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: Another day at the office for Heidern. Finally, we put an end to the Clone Plot and find out just who's behind this madness.**

 **Stay tuned! The final day of the tournament is fast approaching!**


	36. Chapter 36: The Clone War

**Welp, it's official: this story has topped nearly everything I got. Word count, chapter count, reviews... the only record this story will never break is follows/favs, because Monika's Freedom pretty much has that solidified for all eternity. To be fair, I wrote that at a time when the Doki Doki Literature Club fandom was just starting to grow on this site lol.**

 **Anyways, enough about that. Enjoy the conclusion to the Clone Arc... or whatever the hell you wanna call this nonsense that's getting in the way of the tournament.**

It took all the sunlight Friday had to offer for the preparations to be completed. Rendezvous at Heidern's base in Slovenia, gather resources, eat, sleep... all in anticipation of the night raid of the base they had to search for in Normandy before they could storm the damn thing. It was a long day... before anything had even happened. Already, they could feel the fatigue and general annoyance starting to weigh them down. Luckily, Heidern was there to keep them all in line; he had done this enough in his lifetime that he could probably raid operations in his sleep.

 **NORMANDY, FRANCE, FRIDAY NIGHT: ESTIMATED LOCATION OF NESTS/WAREZ BASE**

"...How can you still be playing videogames?"

Mary questioned the sanity of Ai, who was lighting up the darkness of the helicopter with her handheld console. She looked like she had shut out the world around her; not a moment of concentration broken from her intense gaming session.

"That must be hell on your eyes." Ramon chuckled.

"No talky! I'm almost finished.' Ai shushed the luchador's commentary as she mashed buttons furiously. Was she playing a shooter? Fighter? Nobody was really in a comfortable state of mind to inquire about such things. The fact that Ai could be so chill was either inspiring... or she was a freaking weirdo.

On the other side... one fighter was feeling the absolute opposite. For Adelheid, this was a lot more than just putting an end to evil: this was his redemption. The whole flight, he had barely looked Heidern in the eye... how could he? It was HIS mission, HIS job to defeat Rugal... and he failed. Instead, Leona had to do it... and Heidern had to watch his daughter undergo something truly terrifying. She suffered, he suffered... it was all his fault.

"...Heidern."

Heidern's eye opened; he turned to address the young man at his side. "What?"

"...Allow me to take point, sir."

Heidern's eyebrow raised. "You eager for something?"

Adelheid's fist clenched. "I think you already know."

Heidern nodded. "Adelheid, I already told you I don't hold you responsible for-"

"Forgive me, sir, but I choose to take responsibility." Adelheid interrupted. "Rugal was my job, and I failed. I swear to you... I won't screw this up."

"You don't have to convince me." Heidern replied. "I know what you're capable of. Just keep everyone alive, and you can consider yourself redeemed. Clear?"

Adelheid nodded, a small smile forming. "Roger that."

 _"Commander Heidern!"_ a voice spoke over the loudspeaker. _"We're approaching a compound!"_

Heidern rose to his feet. "That's it. ALRIGHT, EVERYBODY KIT UP! Ralf, on me!"

Ralf tightened his bandanna and rose with an intense expression. "This is for Clark."

Mary struggled to secure her strap over her large boobs... which Ramon keenly noticed.

"Need some help with that babe?" he grinned.

Mary gave a good-natured eyeroll. "Watch it, Ramon. You're gonna need all your limbs for this mission."

"Alright you two, let's get this over with and be back in time for breakfast." Seth commanded, strapping on his backpack and heading for the hatch.

"Rose... wait for me." Adelheid whispered to his sister, far away though she was.

The black of night shrouded their descent from the helicopter, as they dropped via parachute into the mask of trees below. The helicopter circled around one time to confirm the landings before heading off into the distance to await extraction. The mission was officially a go.

"This is Heidern. All units sound off."

 _"This is Ralf. I'm kissin' the ground."_

 _"Adelheid reporting in."_

 _"Seth here."_

 _"Ramon lookin' cool."_

 _"Mary's here. And cute."_

 _"This is Ai! Let's finish this up so I can get back to my- OHH MYGOSHOHMYGOSH!"_

Heidern actually did a double take upon hearing that strange report. "Ai, what is it?"

 _"EVERYONE COME QUICK! Ah... uhhh converge on me! Or something."_

Heidern rolled his eye. "All units, form up at the entrance to the compound. And wait for me."

It took a good 15 minutes for everyone to find each other, since they had landed a kilometer away from the compound and were quite scattered within the trees. But slowly and surely, the fighters were all reunited at the compound... along with an eighth man?

"...So what did you say your name was?" Ramon asked, scratching his head a few times.

The man in question looked straight out of the Tokugawa Era: clad in a white sleeveless gi, along with a white hakama, both with hints of black on the bottoms. A red sash was tied neatly around his waist, which complimented his red gloves quite nicely. His most noticeable feature was his black hair and HUGE ponytail... and the samurai steel at his hip.

"Don't you recognize him?!" Ai bounced up and down as she spoke. "Do you? Do you?"

"It's Haohmaru." the man spoke gruffly, his piece of straw dangling in his mouth with each word.

"It's THE HAOHMARU!" Ai squealed. "Oh my gosh! Ahhh! What are you doing in our time period?!"

Haohmaru balanced one hand on his hilt as he spoke casually. "I dunno how I got here. I was just out seeking worthy opponents to test my steel, but I guess I got turned around and ended up here. Where am I?"

"You're in France, dude." Mary replied, her tone rather deadpan.

Haohmaru grinned. "France, eh? Not bad..."

Ai clung to his arm, wrapping herself around his musculature. "We should totally take him base-raiding with us! EEEEEEEE!"

Heidern was starting to get a mean scowl. "Look, Ai, this isn't a game..."

"You guys headed for battle?" Haohmaru asked. "That sounds right up my alley. You can hire my services if you want."

Ai gave Heidern the most pitiful puppy eyes. "PLEEEEEEEASE~?"

Heidern rolled his eye. "Alright... what do you want? Money?"

Haohmaru put a hand on his chin... and a wide grin formed, as if he had sprouted an idea.

"Tell you what... I once heard a great tale of seven samurai who protected a village from bandits for the price of a mere bowl of hot rice. It was a fantastic story... and it attracted me. I want to live that glory myself. So, I will help you... for rice. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"Heh, my wallet says thank you." Ralf flashed a thumbs up.

"Come help us destroy this base, and you can have all the rice you can eat~" Ai gushed.

"Heh. Done."

 **SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!**

In the moonlight, his steel sparkled gallantly as he drew the blade from its sheath. The reflection was so brilliant, it actually caused the others to shield their eyes a little. Haohmaru held his trusty sword up high, placing two hands on the handle... and bringing it to rest beside his cheek.

"Alright, can we get started already?" Seth urged.

"Yes. Enough playing around." Heidern ordered.

With that nonsense over, the team of eight strong finally made their way to the entrance of the NESTS/WAREZ compound. Shockingly, there were no guards; in fact, the place looked pretty run-down, like nobody was even operating there.

"This doesn't look too sophisticated." Mary addressed the obvious.

"It could be a ruse. Throw us off, make us overlook it." Seth wisely analyzed.

"We won't know until we go in." Heidern stated. "Alright, everyone form up!"

At the entrance of the compound, the seven of them gathered to await Heidern's orders. The tall commander stood in front of them, hands behind his back, looking as professional as ever. It was just another day at the office for him...

"Okay. Squad A will consist of myself, Ralf, and Adelheid."

Ralf and Adel approached Heidern and nodded, getting behind him as he continued.

"Seth, you take your squad and find an alternate route through the compound. We'll meet up at the control room."

Seth nodded. "Roger that."

"Lastly, Ai. You take your samurai friend and, uh... go wreck stuff."

Ai stood tall and did the goofiest salute ever. "YES SIR~"

"What's the rules of engagement?" Ralf asked.

Heidern's eye ominously narrowed. "If it's artificial, kill it. If it's living and breathing, take it into custody. Our mission here is to shut down all cloning operations. PERMANENTLY. Am I clear?"

"YES SIR!" the group exclaimed in unison.

That powerful acknowledgement earned a smile from the commander. "Alright, let's go in there and get it done."

Ralf and Seth got on both sides of the entrance; with a simultaneous nod, they kicked the doors open and breached the compound for the first time. The sight before them was... not as expected.

The interior of the base looked like an absolute dump. There were no lights, it was cold, desolate, random debris, paper, trash scattered along the floor. It definitely looked abandoned; no sane person would actually use this place to manufacture clones... right?

"Wait a moment. Let your eyes adjust." Heidern quietly ordered.

"This place looks like a shithole!" Ralf whispered aloud.

"Don't be fooled by appearances." Adelheid reminded, approaching deeper into the compound to take point like he promised.

"Alright, everyone split up. Search the place top to bottom. There's GOT to be something here." Heidern gave that final order, and the team broke off to explore different routes.

* * *

"Awwww nuts."

Ai broke the silence shared between her and Haohmaru as they wandered the corridors, searching for any signs of a clone operation.

Naturally, the samurai was intrigued. "What's wrong?"

"I totally forgot about Yuki's fight this morning. I just checked the results... he lost. Damn, I really thought he could do it..."

Haohmaru actually understood. "You must be referring to the tournament currently going on in Italy."

Ai perked up. "Oh my god, you know about that?!"

"Yes, word of this contest has stretched far and wide across the span of the universe."

"How come you didn't join?"

Haohmaru gave a short laugh. "Hah. A fighting contest that's not to the death? Noooot really my forte."

Ai giggled. "Hee hee... you make a good point there."

* * *

"Shit! CONTACT!"

Seth's barking voice awoke the combat instincts of Ramon and Mary, as they tensed up in anticipation of the looming figures approaching fast.

...But when they came into view, the faces of the agents twisted in disgust.

"What the..." Ramon muttered.

"What ARE those things?!" Mary asked, a question that really required no answer.

It was obvious what they were. Their unstable, incomplete, nearly naked bodies... their empty eyes, their lack of coherence... some even didn't have hair. These zombie-like figures only had one thing in mind: aggressive intent.

"...Just call em Battle Clones. It doesn't really matter." Seth growled, clenching his fists. "They're coming to kill us. That's all that matters."

"Let's meet em halfway." Ramon grinned.

Ramon sprinted out there like a madman and started having fun. He extended his arm to clothesline one that was approaching fast, laying it out flat. Another clone closed in; he threw his body at it and drop-kicked it to the floor. As the eager luchador sprang up, he threw a sobat to the left and a backhanded chop to the right, flooring two more assailants.

One cheeky clone actually managed to seize him from behind; the eyepatch-clad wrestler was all smiles despite being cranked at the neck. He was able to easily pry the clone's arm loose and reverse their positions, holding the clone at his mercy with the arm bent behind the back. Ramon finished it off with a flashy vertical elbow, raining downwards on the spine so hard it snapped in two.

Mary kept one at bay with a lunging side kick. Another tried to ambush her from behind; a spinning backfist to the nose dropped it. One clone was actually holding a knife, of all things; Mary had a special surprise for it. She threw herself at the clone, locking her legs around the knife-wielding arm in mid-air. Locking her hands around the wrist, her body weight and momentum sent the clone crashing to the ground. With one mighty tug, Mary quite easily tore the ligaments in the arm to the extent that it was a useless slab of meat.

Mary rolled backwards and sprang up; she was able to spin around just in time to intercept the leg of a clone who threw a kick at her. Holding one leg in her hand, she tripped the stationary foot and followed the clone to the ground, seizing the leg tight between her thighs. She grabbed the ankle with two hands, twisted... and severed whatever internal bone or nerve kept that leg sustained.

Seth drove his fists into the ears of an approaching clone, destroying its equilibrium and putting it on its knees. He drew back and unleashed a fist that sent the clone's jaw sideways, complete with flying teeth, blood and saliva particles flying.

Another clone tried to clinch with him; Seth easily pried it apart and rammed a knee into its stomach so hard... the flesh and muscle tissue actually tore through the BACK. The clone slumped to the ground, its spine visibly sticking out.

Another clone charged at Seth; he lunged like a ravenous animal, scooped the clone off its legs and slammed it to the ground. With a ferocious growl, Seth mounted the clone and started raining. Punch, punch, punch... in no time, Seth was no longer punching a face, but the equivalent of a squished basketball, as skull and brain matter spilled out all over the floor.

* * *

"Seth, report. What's your status?"

Heidern spoke into his headset, just in time to avoid the clone swinging at him. Heidern rammed his hand through the clone's heart, killing it instantly.

 _"This is Seth. We're under attack by shambling clones. We're holding our own."_

"Roger that. We're getting the same here." Heidern responded. He swung his hand and cleaved through the torso diagonally, felling another clone that tried to sneak up on him. He spun around and swung wide, slashing the necks wide open of two more and dropping them like flies.

A clone tried to rush Heidern from the left; just before it touched him, Ralf plowed into the clone and took it down to the ground. He grabbed the clone's head and started ramming it against the concrete until the skull cracked like an egg, the yolk of its brain oozing out.

Adelheid was finding great success; his personalized Genocide Cutter cleaved through clones left and right. His foot was no less effective than a sword. Each clone that came at him met similar fates: one lost the entire upper half of its torso. Another clone was bisected from the head to the waist. Another clone lost everything on the left side of its body, from its head to its arm.

"CLEAR! MOVE UP!" Ralf shouted, just before breaking the necks of two clones he had tucked under his armpits. The last surviving clone met a gruesome fate; Ralf scooped him up, flipped him like a pancake, and slammed him on his knee, snapping the spine like a pencil. Even the stomach ripped open from the force of that thunderous back-breaker.

* * *

In the hallway before Ai and Haohmaru... there was nearly an army of them. 20? 30? Maybe even more...

"Oh wow. That's a whole bunch!" Ai squeaked, summoning her virtual baseball bat. "SERVE EM UP!"

One clone tried to dive at her legs. It flopped to the ground right in front of her as Ai leaped out of the way and rained down on the back of its head. Her baseball bat split the head open like a coconut.

Ai got a running start and threw a home run swing, literally knocking the head off the clone that was charging at her. With her tremendous momentum, she spun her body around wildly and swung the bat like a madwoman, cracking yet another unfortunate skull. Finally, she spun around one more time and swung low, shattering the knee of a charging clone and felling it. A swift conk to the head finished the job.

Haohmaru was utterly rushed from the front. The bulk of the entire clone army decided to divert their attention from Ai and swarm him instead. His back was to the wall; there was no retreat.

...Despite this, he smiled and spit the piece of hay from his teeth.

Haohmaru put one hand on the hilt of his katana... and everything went by like a blur. Before anyone could blink, Haohmaru was on the OTHER side of the hallway... now behind all the clones, his katana extended in post-swing.

The blood fell like rain. The heads rolled off like a hailstorm. Bodies thudded, one after the other, one after the other, one after the other... a never ending orchestra of corpses. As Haohmaru rose back up, he sheathed his sword smoothly... and the last body hit the ground.

Ai's eyes had stars in them. Her knees buckled. Her mouth hung open, nearly drooling, as a huge red rush tinted her cheeks. She just seriously, honest-to-god had a fangasm.

"Let's keep moving, Miss Ai." Haohmaru urged,

"Y-y-yesssss... H-haohmaru... sama~" Ai swooned.

* * *

Things finally calmed down, at least on Heidern's end. He, Ralf, and Adelheid proceeded towards what they believed to be the nucleus of the base. Now, more than ever, they had reason to believe that cloning operations were indeed underway here... how could there not be after the legion of barely-finished vessels that just swarmed them?

"What's going on here... is unnatural." Adelheid spat. "It's a crime against nature. Man was not meant to create man. Only a woman should be capable of such a thing... through the miracle of life of course."

"Well, people are getting smarter and smarter." Ralf joined in the philosophy. "I mean... people create sophisticated machines for use in combat. You know, robots, drones... even androids. Creating other humans is just the next step in the chain, I think. I mean, just think about it... what if one day, we could create artificial people to fight wars-"

"Shut up, Ralf. Right now." Heidern swiftly and coldly shot that down. "I won't tolerate that kind of filthy talk."

Ralf went meek in seconds. "S-sorry sir... I was just making a point..."

"Adelheid is right." Heidern continued, a little calmer. "It's disgusting. Creating flesh and blood to inflict violence... only despicable humans could think of such things. We really are a sad species. As if we don't shed enough blood already..."

"At least some people do it for a noble cause. Like us." Adelheid tried to cheer Heidern up.

"Hmph. Rhetoric." was the commander's unfortunate dismissal of those uplifting words.

The three of them walked onward, hallway through hallway... until they stumbled upon a piece of damning evidence, in the form of a big white sign with black letters:

 _ **BREEDING FACILITY A**_

"...Could this be it?" Ralf asked.

"Only one way to find out." Adelheid initiated. Without restraint, he busted the door open...

...The sight before them blew their minds.

"Holy..."

Rows and rows of glass tanks, filled with colorful, bubbling liquids, running through cords... connected to living, breathing human-like forms for sustenance. It was endless: a field, where the cash crop was the growth of human beings.

"Th-this is... what the everloving... hell..." Ralf's words nearly failed to manifest properly.

They browsed through row after row, their faces twisted in disgust at the forms floating before them. Males, females, varying muscle sizes, skin pigmentation, bone structure... life was being created here, against the laws of nature and science.

"Over here guys! We got software."

Ralf motioned to the others, as they ran over there to browse the computers lined up all over the facility. The monitors were scrolling with a SEA of code: letters, symbols, stuff that would make one's eyes leak with tears if they tried to decipher it.

On some of the monitors were more interesting developments: some contained images of more fundamental procedures, such as basic movement. But some animated images depicted previews of the life forms practicing various basic strikes: punches, kicks, elbows, knees... some were demonstrating more advanced techniques on the monitors, such as initiating a takedown, stuffing a takedown, even reversing a position.

"Incredible... this data is being infused into their brains. They're learning, at the pressing of a keyboard." Adelheid observed.

"If it wasn't so damn barbaric, it'd be impressive." Heidern admitted. "But this is forbidden science. This is a taboo no man should ever break. This has to come down. ALL of it."

"Then let's get wreckin'." Ralf grinned, cracking his knuckles.

"No." Heidern halted. "We have to proceed and find the mastermind. Air support will flatten all of this when we're through. For now, we're searching for REAL people."

"Roger that... sigh..."

"GUYS! Look over here!"

Adelheid motioned to the others, standing in front of a glass tank that was containing a much, MUCH more sophisticated-looking model than the other floating meatbags. This one was incredibly, vividly distinguished. Clothing, in the form of a flowing kimono with various shades of purple, yellow, red. It had a full head of fiery hair, long and rich in volume. The skin pigment wasn't a healthy shade, but a rather ghastly pallor of white. But that was the only anomaly: everything else leaned towards the conclusion that a lot more time and effort had been put into the creation of this clone, compared to the others.

"Look, there's the name."

Heidern squinted his eye as he leaned in close, examining the label plastered on the glass:

 _ **PROJECT: AMAKUSA**_

"Amakusa... I read about him." Heidern spoke. "He was a radical Christian from Japan. Led a revolt, if I recall correctly. He was defeated and executed."

"This the same guy?" Ralf asked.

Heidern shook his head. "I wouldn't know. But I do know this... look at the intricacy of him. Full hair, clothes... this must've been one of their bigger projects, like Rugal."

Ralf raised an eyebrow as he tapped the glass. "It looks so alive... like he could jump at us any second. Hey! You alive in there? Hellooooooo!"

...A pair of colorless eyes opened, and the glass exploded.

Heidern was sent crashing onto a row of computers. Ralf hit one of the glass tanks, so hard it cracked. Adelheid was the only one who managed to remain on his feet, despite getting blown backwards quite intensely.

The figure didn't so much approach as he did levitate... his body brimming with a sinister green aura. He extended his palm... and a crystal ball emerged from his clothing and floated into his grasp. That must have been his weapon of choice.

"Shit! Heidern, this thing's active!" Ralf cried.

"Tell me something I don't know." Heidern snarked back. Remaining calm, he dusted himself off and spoke into his headset.

"This is Heidern, requesting backup immediately. There was still a powerful one sleeping in the base. He's awake now. Get over here!"

 _"This is Seth. We're on the way."_

 _"Uhhhh Ai here! I c-can't reach you right now! I'm busy bludgeoning clones. SMASH! SMASH! SMASHEROOOOOO! WOOOO SO FUN~!"_

Heidern let out an annoyed groan, rolling his eye. "We're gonna have to hold it off on our own. Stay strong, men."

Adelheid growled, approaching fast. "I'm gonna do more than hold it off... I'm going to crush it!"

Adelheid rushed in wildly, underestimating the versatility of Amakusa's crystal ball. He learned the hard way, when the Japanese sorcerer sent it flying into his gut. He was sent back a good distance, but still remained on his feet and tried to charge in again: this time with a flying kick.

"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Amakusa howled as his body went transparent and he easily phase-shifted through Adelheid's kick. As he reappeared behind the son of Rugal, his crystal ball struck him dead in the back and floored him.

Ralf tried to rush him with a takedown; Amakusa gave him much of a similar fate. The clone demonstrated the extent of his otherworldy magic when he opened a wormhole in the ground, sent his crystal ball through it... and it emerged underneath Ralf and sent him flying upwards via his stomach.

"OOOUUUUuffffffffff..."

Heidern tried to zone him out at first with a projectile; Amakusa phase-shifted through it, but made the mistake of reappearing CLOSER to Heidern. But perhaps this wasn't a mistake at all; when Heidern tried to lunge and stab, his fingers collided against the surface of the crystal ball... and his attack was stopped dead.

With a rather effeminate cackle, Amakusa countered with a sweep kick that knocked Heidern off his feet... and before Heidern could even hit the ground, the crystal ball acted of its own will and slammed him into the wall. The weapon then returned back to Amakusa's hand, like a pet running to his master's call.

Adelheid came flying in with an axe kick, his heel slamming against the ground as Amakusa shifted just out of reach. Bernstein remained aggressive, doubling up with a back kick, then bringing that foot down to push off and go airborne, unleashing his slashing aura with a third attack. Amakusa was simply too fast, able to zoom out of reach of each strike. Upon the third kick missing, Amakusa charged in with crystal ball in hand, thrusting it at the blonde kid's chest.

Adelheid actually met him halfway, throwing a roundhouse... but he realized that Amakusa was too close and he had to awkwardly ease off on the torque. The end result was Amakusa's attack and Adelheid's kick colliding, the crystal ball smacking into solid shinbone, and the two opponents backing away from the stalemate.

Adelheid and Amakusa stared each other down, one with fire in his eyes... and the other devoid of human emotions.

...At that moment, Ralf tried to ambush with a sloppy haymaker. Amakusa sidestepped and the crystal ball sent Ralf flying. THAT was Adelheid's opening.

Now temporarily disarmed, Amakusa was forced to parry Adelheid's kick with his bare wrist. This proved to be a problem; Adelheid's leg was so powerful, he managed to dislocate the hand and put Amakusa on the retreat. The clone didn't seem bothered by the face his hand had twisted out of place.

Adelheid smelled blood. He went in for the kill... only for the crystal ball to come zooming in out of nowhere and plowing into his side, knocking him off course. As the pesky weapon returned to Amakusa's side... the clone casually grabbed his hand and snapped it back in place before grasping his malevolent orb once again.

Heidern flew in from behind, hand drawn back, enough force to take the clone's head off with a single swipe... but Amakusa didn't even have to turn around, and the crystal ball sought out Heidern's body to knock him out of the air.

 _"This is Seth! I'm approaching your 6, but we got a whole swarm of Battle Clones coming up behind us! We're bringing company, whether you like it or not!"_

 _"Agh! AHHH! I prefer company of the tall, redhead, female kind!"_ Ramon could be heard squealing in the background.

 _"What I wouldn't give for a Power Geyser right now."_ Mary also added in.

Heidern slammed his fist on the floor as he rose up. "Just get here ASAP and provide support! We're losing ground here!"

With that command, the trio once again stood before Amakusa. Their hearts burned with fighting passion, determined to face down and defeat this powerful foe.

...But Amakusa was just getting started. This was evidenced by his body unleashing an evil magic so powerful, it turned his very skin violet and the purple of his garb to a macabre dark green.

 **I hate that this has to be folded into a Part 2... but the word count is getting a little high. Ugh -_-**

 **NEXT CHAPTER: the end of this bullshit**


	37. Chapter 37: The Clone War, pt 2

"Ai, what's your status?"

 _"Uhhhh! C-CLONES! EVERYWHERE! GAAAH!"_

"God dammit... Seth, what's your ETA?"

 _"We're coming as fast as possible, but we're getting hit from all sides! Ai's trying to carve a path to us! You guys are on your own for the time being!"_

Heidern cursed aloud upon hearing that final report. He tried to get up... but he couldn't muster the strength to even keep his legs upright after the last attack. It didn't take long before the blows had started to weigh heavily on his more aged body: his breathing began to slow, his limbs more sluggish... eventually, he was forced to collapse.

"Urgh... cough cough cough! Damn... I'm too old for this."

With a defeated sigh, Heidern rested against the wall and watched helplessly as Amakusa continued to battle Ralf and Adelheid.

Ralf went airborne, extending his fist... and he rained down on Amakusa like a fighter jet. His fist impacted so tremendously, the ground around him actually exploded. Unfortunately, Amakusa was far out of reach. Since going purple, he had gotten even faster, stronger... and his crystal ball was more annoying than ever. The color had changed from bright blue to a dark blood red... a sign that his power had grown to something even more sinister.

Amakusa sent the orb flying at Adelheid; the blonde activated his reflect barrier and knocked it aside with a wave of his hand. Now achieving the momentum he desired, he sprinted towards Amakusa and let him have it with a flying kick. Amakusa phase-shifted through his attack and appeared from behind, but Adelheid was wise to it and immediately dropped low with a wide sweep kick. Amakusa floated out of his range for now, and focused on Ralf; he was definitely sending Adelheid was the bigger threat of the two.

Ralf, sadly, didn't have the speed or discipline to stand toe-to-toe with Amakusa. He barreled in with an aggressive flurry of punches, each whiffing badly, and he tried to mix things up by shooting for a double leg... but Amakusa let him have it.

"What the... ugh! I can't.. ungh! Move...!"

Ralf was suspended in mid-air by an unholy black circle containing a red pentagram, courtesy of the satanic magic Amakusa possessed. But the terror didn't end there: another pentagram appeared to Ralf's left, another to his right, and finally... one right above his head.

In an instant... Ralf was utterly devastated from all four sides as the crystal ball started ping-ponging through the portals, assaulting his body from every angle. A demonic red trail of evil energy could be seen swirling left, right, up, down... Ralf's body nearly non-visible within it's hellish light.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHH!"

Ralf's scream was never ending; it was all he COULD do as his body underwent the most devastating barrage and he was unable to do a thing about it. No bone, no nerve, no body part was spared from the crystal ball's wrath.

His only saving grace was Adelheid.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" he roared as he unleashed his Grosse Kreis, his personalized version of his father's Genocide Cutter. Amakusa was forced to break his focus and retreat, lest Adelheid's slashing aura cleave through him.

Finally... Ralf was granted mercy and allowed to drop to the floor. Getting up was no chance... his tender muscles weighed him down as the pain wrought him from head to toe.

"Agh.. aaauuugh... C-Commander... Heidern..." Ralf wheezed out his leader's name as he attempted to crawl. He only made it a few inches... before going flat.

"Urgh, just stay down Ralf. Don't draw attention to him..." Heidern called out.

Adelheid was officially the last man standing. His face intensified as he stood before Amakusa, his mind plagued with burden: support was cut off, his allies laying wounded before him... he was the only one who could dig them all out. Now, he had no choice; there was nobody else to take up the reigns if he failed. He HAD to succeed.

Adelheid closed his eyes and took a deep breath... relaxing his muscles... and he let out a soft, slow exhale before opening his eyes once again.

"Alright, you demonic bastard." he cursed. "You've had your fill. Now, prepare to be sent to your fate! I'm not going to lose this time! I REFUSE TO LOSE!"

Adelheid's eyes grew wide with fury as he rushed forward. He could feel his muscles tensing up again... burning with heat! He felt powerful at that moment: like any strike he threw couldn't be measured up to.

Amakusa met his aggression head-on. The malevolent clone extended his hand, sending the crystal ball out with intent to kill...

"RRRRAGH! ENOUGH!" Adelheid screeched as he leaped up and threw his fastest, most volatile Genocide Cutter: one that could rival, even surpass that of his father.

 **SLASH!**

His foot sailed through the orb-like weapon, shattering it into useless particles. Adelheid's feet touched the ground... and he didn't stop for a second.

His battle cry sent fear into Amakusa's heart as he closed distance and lit him up with a flurry of kicks. His footwork was impeccable, each pivot of his hip masterful as his kicks swung with the grace of a gentle breeze and the force of a hurricane.

Amakusa phase-shifted through a left. Adelheid planted his foot and spun around 360 with a reverse right; Amakusa dodged that one as well. Adel's momentum didn't stop; he leaped high and came down atop Amakusa's head with a smashing heel strike.

Amakusa managed to shift backwards at the last second... but Adelheid had him right where he wanted. The kid threw his most agile, precise kick yet; he appeared to be kicking dust, but he allowed his foot to gently graze along the floor and go upwards... until his leg was at a right angle. This motion allowed him to produce a sliding projectile along the ground, similar to that of a Reppuken or Power Wave. It glowed like a burning white fire... with the slightest hint of violet: a throwback to his father, perhaps?

The projectile soared fast and true, taking Amakusa out at the legs before the clone could settle. When Adelheid sensed the opening, he drew both arms back, thrust them forward... and unleashed his fury.

A wave of pure energy: bigger, grander, more powerful than any before it. It could only rival his father's or Krauser's Kaiser Wave in its brilliance. Amakusa took the full force of it; strong as he was, even he failed to stand up to the crushing power of Adelheid's vengeful chi, and it blew him backwards into the nearest wall. When the smoke cleared... he was but a weak, lumbering shell of his former self.

...But even then, his eyes had no emotion. Even then, he continued to walk forward, to fulfill his fate, the only purpose he was put on this planet. He would fight and kill... until he was no more.

Luckily, Amakusa would be free of this fate very soon.

"Hnnnnnnnnghhhh... HRRRRRRRNGHHHHHHHHH...!"

Adelheid's hand began to glow red, the energy cascading in all directions... eerily similar-looking to a hand bathed in blood.

"HRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Adelheid's murderous bellow was reflected in the power of this final attack, as he rushed in with his blood-red hand and delivered unto Amakusa a blow of dreadfully malignant proportions.

Amakusa's body was lost, swallowed whole by a pulsing red pillar of pure energy, so hellish in appearance that the faint outline of a skull could be seen burning within it: an appropriate symbol as this attack guaranteed the clone's death.

The intense energy faded into thin air upon completion... and the body of Amakusa went with it, erased from existence. Nothing, not even a strand of hair could be recovered.

When it was all said and done... the lad could only collapse to his knees from exhaustion. It was no unknown fact that Adelheid wasn't healthy coming into this, and he had just unleashed more energy than he probably knew he had.

...But damn if it didn't feel good. Redemption was sweet... so very sweet. It was the only thing that could make him stand tall again.

"Heidern, Ralf! Are you two able to stand?" Adelheid quickly forgot his pride to focus on helping his friends in need. Thankfully, he had enough strength to support Heidern and Ralf, at least until they were back to their feet.

"That was an excellent battle. You fought with unyielding ferocity and passion." Heidern complimented.

"Thank you, sir. I just... couldn't afford to fail. Not again."

"Indeed... and that's how you found the power." Heidern nodded. With a smile and a nod, the commander quickly focused his attention to receiving a status update.

"Seth, Ai, talk to me."

 _"This is Seth! My squad finally hooked up with Ai and the samurai. We managed to carve a path and we're on our way to provide support. Can you hold out?"_

Heidern gave a smug grin. "No need. We just finished up here. Why don't you guys take a break? We're moving on to locate the leader."

 _"I... how did you...? Y-yes sir. I m-mean! Grrr. We'll be there in a second! Shit..."_

"Heh heh heh. I think we hurt the big man's pride a little, sir." Ralf joked, but quickly broke out into a horrid marathon of coughs afterwards. They wrought him so intensely, he nearly was back on the floor like before.

"Try not to talk, Ralf. Focus on staying upright." Heidern commanded, putting an arm around his man to help support him.

"Yes sir, COUGH COUGH! Sorry sir."

* * *

At the labored pace the three weary warriors were traveling, Seth and Ai ended up linking up with them in the hallways. Unfortunately, they brought with them a large swarm of unpleasant company. This mattered little, however; Heidern was just happy to have the team back together, so they could be relieved.

"Ungh...Seth, tend to Ralf. And me." Heidern grunted as he stumbled forward and embarrassingly collapsed against the large man's bicep. Seth took it well, gently lowering Heidern to the floor and then helping Ralf down as well.

"Mary, Ramon, secure the perimeter!" Seth ordered.

"I'll back them up! Cmon, Haohmaru!" Ai requested to the samurai. Haohmaru put one hand on his hilt and followed behind.

"What happened back there?" Seth addressed the wounded men.

"Cough cough... we had to fight a powerful one." Heidern groaned. "We were just... trying to hold out until you arrived. If Adelheid weren't here, we'd be dead now."

The blonde kid in question looked away, slightly blushing at the receival of all this praise.

"Forgive me Heidern. We got held up... as you can see." Seth pointed behind them: the clone army had already caught up.

Three of them rushed Haohmaru at the same time; with a deep lunge, he swiftly unsheathed his blade and lopped off all three heads at once. He brought both hands to grip his katana, spun around and continued the onslaught with a horizontal slash that decapitated two more. He dipped the blade downward... then came upwards with a slash that severed a clone from stomach to scalp. Finally, he spun around 360 and separated several torsos from the legs they were attached to.

Ai had been completely surrounded: like something out of a zombie apocalypse. She was on her knees, turtling up, her crystal blue forcefield the only thing protecting her from a ravenous horde of violent clones out of one's worst nightmare. They relentlessly, mindlessly pounded against the solid structure, doing more harm to themselves, really... but obviously they were too devoid of humanity to even notice.

"CAN SOMEONE PLEASE CLEAR MY... EVERYTHING?!" Ai squealed.

Feeling heroic, Ramon answered the call. "I gotcha, senorita!"

Mary actually had to stop fighting just to see what the crazy man had actually done; abandoning all common sense, Ramon ran towards the ridiculous swarm around Ai... and DIVED at them like a rockstar on stage.

"RAMON, ARE YOU CRAZY!" Mary yelled.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Ramon's body weight toppled the clones like bowling pins, achieving a domino effect since they were all so closely gathered. The hallway became an absolute cluttered mess: bodies laying around, all tangled up in each other, struggling to get back to their feet but failing due to a lack of space... and Ramon was somewhere buried in the middle of it.

"Oh Jesus, Ramon..." Mary could only assume the worst as she ran down there and started digging through flailing bodies. The clones all tried to violently protest... but Mary put up with none of their bullshit as she tossed them aside.

Finally, as if the lone needle was sticking up in the sea of hay... she found Ramon's gloved hand and snatched him out of the fire.

"Heh heh... hehehehehehehe. That... was... awesome." Ramon grinned upon rescue.

Mary's response was a smack to the forehead. "You're a dumbass."

"MARY! RAMON! AI! THIS WAY!"

Now granted a temporary retreat, as the clones were all still trying to get back up, they followed the voice of Seth, who had Heidern and Ralf scooped up on each shoulder. Since this essentially made Seth incapable of defending himself, they would have to cling to his 6 while Adelheid took point.

...But one man had plans of his own. Plans of greatness.

"...You guys go on ahead."

The voice of the samurai stopped them all in their tracks. As they turned around to see... Haohmaru was far behind the others. He wasn't moving. With both hands gripping his katana... he stood his ground with a grin.

"Go, and capture the leader. I'll stay behind and hold them off."

"Haohmaru-sama, there's too many!" Ai squealed, getting misty-eyed just from the melodrama.

"Dude... could you please not be that cliche guy in the movie that has to win everyone's hearts by staying behind and sacrificing himself?" Mary said with an eyeroll.

Haohmaru laughed. "You misunderstand me. I have no intentions of giving my life! I still have yet to receive my payment after all. When this is over... I want to eat rice until I'm sick."

Ai was straight up leaking from the eyes, nostrils... she looked a pathetic sight. "YOU'LL GET YOUR RICE, HAOHMARU-SAMA! I SWEAR IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

"The man has spoken." Seth assured them. "Let's take advantage of it and head towards the command room. Mary, Ramon, watch my 6."

"Rigtho! Good luck, samurai dude!" Ramon flashed a thumbs up.

"Ugh. Whatever." Mary rolled her eyes.

While everyone else had already ran onwards... Ai was still caught up in the melodrama of this cinematic moment. Before she walked onward, she had to turn around one last time, with tearful eyes... and call out to him.

"I'll never forget you, Haohmaru-sama! COME BACK TO ME!"

With those last words, Ai disappeared from view... and Haohmaru was left alone with the insatiable horde of single-minded clones. Brandishing his sword, Haohmaru had a few choice last words:

"Heh... to call me awesome would be an understatement."

* * *

The sounds of battle had long drowned out in the distance. Now was only silence... a cold, eerie silence, like something wasn't quite right up ahead.

This was the feeling in the guts of all seven of them as they slowly approached a new door: one with much more distinguished features and a sign that read exactly what they hoped for:

 _ **MAIN CONTROL ROOM**_

"This is it: the whole base is running from this room." Heidern analyzed. "The leader must be here as well."

"Unless he bugged out already." Ramon shook things up with some pessimism.

"Shut up, Ramon." Seth shot him down. "Alright, let's breach."

Ramon and Mary got on both sides of the door, giving each other a nod as Mary held her finger up and counted down from 3...2...1... until she dropped her closed fist.

The two kicked the door open; Adelheid and Ai took point, storming the room... and Ai gasped in horror at the sight before her. Even Adelheid felt himself growing slightly queasy as he looked upon it.

They littered the floor of the control room: a circle of corpses, all with white labcoats, their heads gaping as blood stained the ground around them.

...All but one.

The lone figure in the room: the only one still breathing, that is, was not dressed like a scientist. She had a much more personalized look: indigo bob cut, blue crop top, short shorts... weird fur thing. Her frosty blue eyes looked up and saw them enter... but her face didn't change in the slightest. Was she already resigned to her fate? No... maybe she had a plan of escape, just like always. She was the one who always got away...

"You..." Adelheid's lips spat repulsively, as if the thought of even speaking words to that woman disgusted him. "You're a part of this?"

"Part of it?" Botan replied, her face still static. "I built all of this."

"You're that damned puppetmaster..." Heidern recognized. "The one who served Sai-"

"Don't even say his name." Botan sharply cut into Heidern's words mid-talk. "You don't deserve to speak of him. Only I do."

"Surround her! Block the exit!" Seth commanded. Ramon and Mary nodded, quickly running over to get on the left and right sides of her respectively. Ai stayed close to the door, while Adelheid... stood right in front of her. The way he looked, he didn't want to be anywhere else.

"Explain your actions." Heidern ordered, his voice managing to sound authoritative despite his fatigue.

Botan's eyes narrowed as she folded her arms. "There's not much to it, really. I'm just bored. Bored... and lonely."

"Lonely?" Seth repeated.

Botan's face actually started to scowl a little. "Saiki was all I had... Those From the Past were my family! And that damned Ash Crimson RUINED EVERYTHING! He betrayed us, destroyed us! All of our plans, all of the sacrifices... for NOTHING!"

In the throes of fury, Botan angrily swung her arm and turned her back to them. "With nobody to follow, no purpose in my life... what else could I do? So I FOUND a purpose... I decided I could use my powers to right every wrong. Everyone who destroyed what I had could die. No... EVERYONE could die. This world sucks anyway."

Her monologue continued as she turned back around. "And so, I started taking people over. The people I needed, to be exact: NESTS people, WAREZ people. The ones who could create clones, turn them into killing machines, ultimate weapons of death. It wasn't that hard, really; just a flick of my fingers, and they were dancing on my strings."

"My god... you really DID create all of this." Heidern's voice couldn't hide his shock.

Botan just shrugged. "It's pretty impressive to you, I guess. I do take a little pride in what I made. I can only imagine how far I could have taken it... maybe I could have conquered the whole world. I dunno. All I really wanted was to kill you all... and the tournament in Italy was the perfect stage for it."

She looked down, letting out a sigh before continuing. "Unfortunately... my haste proved to be my downfall. I made them rush production, start putting them out before they were truly ready. I wanted to see Ash die so badly... I even went out there personally to witness it with my own eyes. But alas, the clones I sent to kill him weren't even close to being finalized, and he ran through them with ease. And then..."

Her words seemed to get a much sharper tone to them... as if she was cursing herself.

"Tch... and then I went and screwed up. When Ash launched a fireball at me, I temporarily lost focus. That allowed your girl there to capture one of the personnel and interrogate him before I had a chance to re-establish control and kill him. Damn... I could have kept going. This could have grown even bigger, more grand than you can imagine. But it's all over now..."

"You're right about that." Adelheid spat. "This IS over. And you're about to pay dearly."

Adelheid started to approach fast... in a non-friendly manner. Heidern, Seth, all of them could see he had lethal intent in his mind.

"Adelheid, stand down!" Heidern shouted. "We need her in custody!"

"She screwed with my SISTER." Adelheid's voice rose dramatically on that last word. "She took over Rose, toyed with her like a plaything! I've been waiting for this moment!"

"Adel, don't do it!" Ai squealed.

...But any pleas fell on deaf ears. Adelheid charged at her relentlessly, a battle cry growing louder and louder with each passing second. Botan shockingly didn't look surprised: she made no effort to get out of the way or retreat in light of his impending attack.

"FOR MY SIST-oooouf...!"

The cause of her calm demeanor was revealed seconds later; just as Adelheid was about to pounce, a black shadow whizzed out of nowhere and blasted Adelheid off trajectory. The blonde kid was knocked into the wall, going unconscious upon hitting the ground.

"ADELHEID!" Heidern cried. "Seth, secure him!"

Seth quickly ran over there to grab his unconscious body, as Mary and Ramon backed away in order to reinforce the front. They, along with Ai, slowly approached the new figure... and stopped when he rose to his feet and turned to face them.

"I know you..." Ai gasped. "I've read so many reports about you it's ridiculous."

"Same here, sister." Mary agreed. "Same here. This guy is BAD. NEWS."

The man before them needed no introduction: his infamy had already been well-spoken off. Dressed in all black, save for the ornate red patterns hanging on the edges. His short black hair was offset by his pale, almost necrotic white skin. A black mask obscured his lower half, revealing only those eyes...

...Those dreadful, DREADFUL eyes. Easily his most disturbing feature. They were void, abyssal... save for a piercing red pupil in the right eye.

He was the seeker of the Dragon Spirit. The man who betrayed his own clan. The man hated by his own flesh and blood.

"Ron." Heidern spoke that name with no pleasantries.

Ron flicked his cloak and slowly sauntered backwards until he was level with Botan. He kept his palms raised warily, ready to ward off any attempt to harm the woman.

"Say hello to the boss of this operation." Botan laughed. "Heh, if you can even call him that. He's more of a placeholder than anything: a faux figure put into place to maintain order."

"So you've got him under your control as well?" Seth asked.

...Upon those words, the usually inexpressive Ron actually laughed.

"Hahahaha... you think me weak-minded enough to be subjugated by a puppetmaster? You mock me."

That new revelation sparked new questions from Heidern. "Then what's YOUR role in this? I thought you were after something different: that hidden power you claim resides in those boys."

Ron put a calculating hand to his chin. "I've stepped away from my pursuit of the Dragon Spirit for the time being, since that kid Kensou seems to have grown weaker. Right now... I have a much more important goal to achieve."

Ron turned and looked at the blue-haired woman. "This woman, this... puppetmaster... is helping serve my new cause. Since severing ties with my clan, I've been unable to seek out new followers. I allied myself with NESTS, even Those From the Past for a while... only to see those go up in smoke as well. That's where this woman... and her cloning operation... came into play."

Ron raised his fingers, curling them menacingly. "In exchange for posing as the head of this facility while she controlled things from the shadows, this woman promised to make me a NEW Hizoku: a clan of loyal assassins who would obey my every command and kill without question. With no spirit, no will to call their own... they would be the ultimate vassals."

Seth scowled. "So did you get your wish?"

Ron scoffed. "Unfortunately, no; this stupid woman got caught up in her revenge fantasy and failed to fulfill her end of the bargain before getting compromised. Hmph. I have a right mind to kill her where she stands."

Botan took the slightest of steps back upon hearing that indirect threat; she could feel things slipping out of her hands, and that was usually a good time to split.

"There won't be anymore killing tonight." Heidern growled. "You're under arrest: BOTH of you."

Ron got into stance. "I think not."

Seth charged, flanked by Ramon and Mary. "You two cover me. I'm gonna take him."

...The outcome was much less than what Seth would have expected. As the large man stepped in to put the bulk of his power into a knockout punch... the next thing he saw was a flutter of Ron's cloak and a sharp, jarring pain slam into his stomach.

"Auhh...aggghh...ghhkk..."

In less than a second, Ron had removed his palm from Seth's stomach and the big man toppled like a tree.

Ramon was slightly taken aback by the man's uncanny speed, but he remained on target and closed distance. He stepped in and threw a wide lariat, only to strike nothing but the black of Ron's cloak. He tried to spin around with a clothesline... but again he failed to even pinpoint the ex-Hizoku leader. He was a looming, skulking shadow... his movements like a phantom, impossible to predict.

Discouraged but still game, Ramon threw a deep knee... but the Hizoku leader was almost serpent-like in his ability to contort through the strike and end up behind the luchador instead.

Ramon's eye bulged as he felt two sharp fingers sink into both of his sides... like a cobra's fangs. All at once, he felt his body go numb; as Ron removed his fingers, Ramon stumbled forward uncontrollably, his legs exuding the last of their strength... before he shut down completely.

Mary tried to shoot for his waist; Ron's dark garb fluttered in her face as he eluded her advance easily. By the time her eyesight was restored, Ron was completely to the LEFT of her and she was grabbing at air.

Slightly cursing herself for looking like an idiot, Mary spun around and threw a high kick towards Ron's face; the man was the epitome of indifference as he caught her ankle, pulled her close... and finished the job with three swift jabs: left kidney, right kidney... straight palm to her throat.

"GUUUGHHHHHKKKKKKK!" her guttural, choked gasp spilled out as she was reduced to a coughing mess on the floor, slumping at Ron's feet while he stared down at her.. eyes sub zero with their lack of compassion.

Ai was the last one standing... not to mention the least competent martial artist. As she stood there, meekly checking out the dark figure in all his looming, imposing glory... her knees were wobbling. Ron, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less; he kept his eyes fixated on her scared ones, not even bothering to put his hands up. He kept them resting at his sides, as if the notion of her approaching posed zero threat.

...Sadly, that couldn't have been more true.

"HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

As boisterous as her battle cry was, it measured up to very little. As Ai ran over to attempt to lay into the seasoned assassin, he merely threw a jolting leg kick that knocked her off her feet with one swoop. She bravely got back up, only for him to kick her leg out once again, easier than a wooden stool. Finally, after one more fruitless attempt to get up and mount some offense... Ron blasted her lights out with a double palm to her face, his strike faster than the crack of a whip as it smashed into her.

The Hizoku ex-leader looked around: all of them were out of commission, five being knocked out and two unable to properly fight. He took one more minute to scan the entire room... it seemed Botan had taken advantage of the chaos and slipped out.

"Hah. She escapes again... how predictable." Ron laughed. He then turned to face Heidern, leaning down slightly.

"...Hopefully for you, we won't meet again. Say hi to my foolish son for me."

With that last humiliating jab, Heidern watched helplessly as Ron walked out of the room... perhaps the last time he would ever be found again.

Although the failure to capture them was slightly upsetting, Heidern was still not feeling defeated; the mission, after all, was STILL a success regardless of whether anyone answered for it at the end of the day. All that mattered was that no more clones would be produced to cause potential harm to humanity. With that in mind... walking away with some bruises wasn't the worst thing ever.

Straightening his headset, Heidern cleared his throat and proceeded onwards with the final phase of the mission:

"This is Heidern. We're done here. Requesting immediate air support. Come get us... and flatten this place."

* * *

"Man, we really suck." Ramon groaned as he limped down the hallway, still feeling the after-effects of Ron's brutal attack.

"Oh speak for yourself, Ramon. We did fine." Mary snarked at him, a little irritated herself in the midst of recovery.

"Mary's right." Seth seconded. "We let a couple guys get away, but it's not the end of the world. The mission was still successful, right Heidern?"

Heidern, only half-listening to the conversation behind him, merely nodded in Seth's general direction as he kept walking forward, hands folded behind his back.

"I can't wait to get back to Italy. I want my cozy hotel room back!" Ralf whined. "I'm sure you'll be happy to see Leona again, eh sir?"

"Yes, yes." Heidern annoyedly answered back.

The seven of them walked hand-in-hand, the weaker ones leaning on the stronger ones for support as they were ALL nursing some aches and pains. The battle had been long, tiring, painful... but they all made it through. Even-

"HAOHMARUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Ai squealed with glee as she ran through a hallway painted red with blood, littered with corpses as far as the eye could see. Severed limbs, rolling heads... at the center of it all was Haohmaru, cleaning the spatter off his blade.

"EEEEEK YOUMADEITYOUMADEITYOUMADEIT!" she gushed as she dived into Haohmaru's arms, hanging off his muscles like a monkey dangling from a tree.

"Heh. Of course I made it." Haohmaru grinned. "What did you think, I was going to give my life or something? Hah!"

"I never doubted you for a second, Haohmaru-sama~" Ai swooned as she spoke his name.

"Nicely done, samurai dude." Ralf flashed a thumbs up. "You wanna come back with us to Italy?"

That one set Ai off even further. "OH MY GOSH... PLEEEEEASE COME WITH US TO ITALY?"

Haohmaru closed his eyes as he chuckled. "Fine, fine. But don't forget my reward."

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I can't wait to show you to Yuki~!"

"Will you hurry it up already?!" Heidern growled. "I told you, air support is coming to bomb the shit out of this place. If you don't want to be buried in rubble, I suggest you be on the chopper when it arrives."

* * *

When they finally did make it outside, Adelheid was the first to board. He hadn't spoken since what happened with Botan; as good as he felt for saving the day against Amakusa, he had to admit he was feeling some negative emotions right now. Notably embarassment, for getting ambushed... as well as that starving lack of closure for letting Botan escape his grasp. It would probably hurt his pride for just a little while... but once he held Rose in his arms again and had a nice sleep in his own bed, he'd probably feel 100% better about himself again.

Mary, Ramon, Seth were all no worse for wear. As far as Seth was concerned, he was happy he lived to see his wife and kids again. The mission was a success; the cloning facility would be destroyed, the power to create armies wiped away... and at the end of the day, two people escaped, but they no longer possessed the potential for causing a worldwide threat. Sure, there was the possibility either one stir up some mischief some time in the distant future... but that was just a job for another day.

Mary would be happy to see Terry again. Ramon would be overjoyed to see Vanessa again.

Ralf was eager to see Clark again and tell him he was avenged.

As for Ai... she could barely contain her eagerness to tell Yuki the story of how she found Haohmaru walking around in a forest and together they hacked n' slashed mindless clones together. It would be a story Yuki would have to endure several hundred times in his lifetime.

As the chopper sped off, Heidern looked out the window one last time: just in time to see the cloning facility go up in smoke, courtesy of a rocket barrage from a couple of AH-64 Apache helicopters. Upon seeing the orange glow of flaming wreckage light up the night sky... Heidern allowed his body to relax against his seat, his eye closing as a huge breath expelled from his lungs.

"Survived another one..."

 **Whew... and THAT. IS. THAT. I take a bow. Yes, I managed to sneak a plot into this fun little tourney fic. I managed to bring back some characters in dire need of purpose. And most importantly... I didn't make it take OVER the tournament at the last minute with some "fight for the fate of the world" bullshit hehe. The plot was foiled. The bad guys lost. The tournament is safe. Now... we're free to move on without any obstacles.**

 **NEXT CHAPTER: The final day of the tournament is here! Tune in for all kinds of fun, from an open call, to the conclusion of the tournament itself, to the bitchin' after-party! Let's get back to good stuff, eh? No more dumb clone killing. Until next time, this is jojoDO signing off!**


	38. Chapter 38: Open Call

**When I say MON, you say TAGE! MON! TAGE! MON! TAGE!**

 **This is the most fun part of the whole story. Swear on my life. May Yamazaki strike me down if it's not so. I pulled out all the stops; not only do the defeated ones get a second chance in the ring, I threw in EVEN MORE CHARACTERS! I even removed the stick and included a couple more Garou guys... but not Rock. As long as I draw breath, Rock and Geese will never co-exist.**

 **I promise you, tournament will be over in three more chapters tops. CH 41, you will have a winner. All I ask is for this one final two-parter of fun and games and absolute mayhem. I haven't had this much fun since Pre-Fight Party.**

 **Without further ado, let the glorious chaos begin. Long live SNK.**

It couldn't have been a more beautiful Sunday in Milan, Italy. The majesty of this day was reflected in how grand Chizuru felt when she woke up that morning. She got out of bed, walked out onto her balcony, not even caring that she was wearing no pants and her hair was nappy as hell. She closed her eyes and drank in the sunlight, the clean, crisp air... days like this were when the gift of life were truly treasured.

"Today is a good day. Today is a good day. Today is a good day. Today is a good day."

Chizuru recited this simple creed repeatedly, hoping that it would indeed ring true. There was no reason why it WOULDN'T, as things couldn't have been going smoother: Heidern and company made it back on Saturday with no casualties, the clone operation was toast, and most importantly... she had made it through SEVEN DAYS of this insanity and still managed to keep everyone alive and the world intact. For once, King of Fighters would finally have the smooth ending it had so desperately needed for so long. It filled her with pride to be able to take credit for it... and she reckoned it was nice to see Geese have some of the praise too. This was his swan song after all; his name deserved to be brought up when the kudos were given.

Chizuru's lips never lost their perfect U-shape as she showered, lotioned, shaved, dolled herself up with makeup, did her hair. She was seriously in RARE form. There was no telling what the day had in store. Maybe she'd give Geese a big kiss. Maybe she'd pay Yamazaki to cut her hair. Maybe she'd buy Iori a stuffed animal.

...But what stood out the MOST, was the awesome activity she had planned for this final day. Just thinking about it sent shivers through her spine: warm, exciting shivers. The more she thought about it, the more eager she was to get her clothes on and get down there already.

This was going to be a fun day.

* * *

The Coliseum was absolutely PACKED for what would be the conclusion of the tournament. Every ass was in a seat; it wasn't long until security had to start shooing people away from the sold-out venue. One thing was for sure: Geese, Chizuru, the tv and advertising executives were going to make BANK for this final day.

The fighter stands were also generously packed. Every King of Fighters regular was able to make it, save for Clark who was still bound to a hospital bed. Many of the... stranger characters... had disappeared: perhaps they were called back to their own time period? Regardless, there was still that warm sense of completion as nobody important seemed to be missing out on what would be a day of true celebration.

"I'M SO STOKED FOR TODAY! WOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mai was bouncing off the walls, unable to contain her always-pulsing excitement.

"Sheesh Mai, what are you so lit up about?" Joe grumbled. "The final four are all assholes anyway. Who are you supposed to root for?"

"Oh shut up Joe. It doesn't matter who wins." Mai retorted. "I'm just happy we're all here together in beautiful Italy for the conclusion of another King of Fighters! Ahhhhh! It just sends the spirit soaring! OH ANDY TAKE ME RIGHT HERE!"

Andy had to immediately jump into preservation mode, lest Mai actually attempt to go through with it. "M-M-Mai! H-HOLD YOUR HORSES! WE'RE IN PUBLIC!"

While some fighters were consumed with the bright lights of the moment... others were a bit more observative of things. Mary usually had an eye for the unusual, and she definitely spotted something weird in the audience as she lay against Terry's large bicep.

"Hey babe... you notice something strange about the audience today?"

Terry subtly glanced over. "It's freakin' packed?"

"Duh doy. But I mean... look at all the people. The way they're dressed."

Terry observed more keenly this time, actually turning around in his seat to get a full frontal view of the audience. His eyebrow slowly elevated... he must have seen it too.

Gi, sashes, belts of every color. Headbands, boxing gloves, MMA gloves, foot wraps, sports bras. Even though there were only three fights left... the entire audience looked like they were ready for combat as well.

"Didn't you guys hear?" Benimaru leaned in close to the couple. "I heard it from Kyo. Chizuru's announcing an open call this morning!"

Terry's eyes narrowed. "An OPEN... CALL?"

Benimaru grinned. "Hell yeah! Anybody can step into the f***ing ring and fight. Audience members, losers... it's a goddamn free-for-all!"

Ryo overheard the conversation. "Whoa... Geese and Chiz are really pulling out all the stops for this last day."

"Well, since there's only three fights left, there has to be something to keep people here for a full day." Robert analyzed. "I didn't expect it to be this crazy though. They're really going to let ANYBODY fight?"

"Everyone except the semifinalists." Benimaru winked. "Those poor suckers get to watch."

"Awww. So much for my rematch with Kyo." Shingo sulked. "Ah well, at least I get to beat other faces in! YAHOOO!"

"So let me get this straight..." Iori bitched. "I dragged my ass out of bed this morning, put on clothes, straightened my hair, because I heard that Chizuru was announcing an open call... and the ONE f***ING PERSON I WANTED TO FIGHT IS OFF-LIMITS?!"

"Yaggy baby, watch your blood pressure~"

Iori yelped as he was yanked backwards against his will... into the loving bosom of Mature, who started stroking his hair.

"It's okay, darling~" Vice spoke in a similarly-annoying motherly voice. "We'll make all the pain go away."

"I'm not in pain, you f***ing cunts." Iori cursed. "I just wanted to fight Kyo. Guh, f*** this. I should just leav-OOOF!"

"Oh you're not going anywhere." Mature commanded, easily manhandling Iori as he tried to pry himself from her grasp.

"Hey! Let me go! LET ME GO!"

"Iori! Behave or I'll spank you." Vice harshly scolded. "I'm not playing, young man."

Iori let out a defeated groan. "Guh... I wish I could re-kill you two."

"So what are we waiting on?" Yuri asked. "I wanna get started already!"

"Chizuru should be here anytime now." Robert replied. "And apparently... she's bringing Geese with her."

"GEESE?!" Andy grumbled. "Can't we ever get a damn break from that guy?"

"Easy, bro." Terry chuckled. "Stay mellow. No need to lose it on a fun day like this."

"Terry's right!" Kim boldly declared. "Save your fury for the ring!"

With that, the minutes continued to tick by... the fighters sat patiently, eagerly, the torment of being forced to wait almost agonizing as they squirmed in their seats. The sweet call of hand-to-hand combat beckoned to all of them... they were all true fighters, each and every one, and the desire to unleash their fighting passion had spread among them like a contagion. For many of them, this was a second chance: redemption, to be able to walk out there and put on a show for the fans after being humiliated in defeat. This was an opportunity that couldn't be wasted, lest these fighters leave Milan, Italy without absolute ease of mind and spirit...

* * *

The audience members were also feeling the growing urgency. Whether they were itching to participate, or their popcorn was simply getting cold... there was a collective swarm of ants in pants across the span of the entire audience stands. 80,000+ were eager for some form of action to commence.

...None moreso than the ones here to step in. Among those were two hardened martial artists, sitting side by side in the stands, appropriately clad in their fighting garb to show that they weren't simply there for feasting their eyes.

Between these two fighters, a myriad of experience was shared: one was a former King of Fighters contestant himself, on two different occassions. He had fought alongside the likes of Geese Howard's nastiest goons: Billy Kane and Yamazaki. On another occasion, the beautiful pirate queen Bonne Jenet was his partner.

The man known only as Gato was a rather hard one to read: his face always bore the most unsettling of scowls, and he carried himself with a demeanor as cold and hard as the most frigid mountains.

The fighter to his side was almost his opposite in flamboyance. A tall, buff dark-skinned man with the most epic of pompadours, he also bore a name befitting of his exotic character: Khushnood Butt. Unlike the bland, stuffy, stoic Gato, Butt was a powerful and prideful disciple of Kyokugen Karate, a former training partner of Ryo Sakazaki himself. He knew his name was unfortunately hilarious and the laughingstock of the entire population... but he didn't care. It only motivated Butt further to become a god of the art of Karate... because then he could simply kick the ass of anyone who dared rub him the wrong way.

"You two are lookin' good."

A female voice snapped Gato and Butt out of their shared silence; the two veterans turned and were met by the smirking face of Malin, who was casually twirling her knife like it wasn't creepy at all.

"Malin." Butt addressed her. "I didn't think you were here, girl. Whatchu doin' on this side of the action?"

Malin shrugged. "Eh, I didn't make it in time to nab one of those lovely entry cards. But uh... that didn't stop me from trying to steal the money, hehehehehe..."

Butt smirked. "Tell me you didn't..."

"Oh I did." Malin winked. "Chizuru whooped my ass pretty good. I don't even think she knows I'm still here."

"Might be best for you to lay low." Butt pointed out. "You want me and Gato here to keep a lookout?"

"...Speak for yourself." that sharp, snarky sneer was expelled courtesy of Gato upon hearing those words. His face remained unchanging, though he brought his arms up to fold them for extra attitude.

Butt chuckled. "Don't mind him, he really does care."

Malin stuck her tongue out. "Oh I believe it. Anyways, I'm not here to hide: I'm here for the same reason you two are."

Butt grinned as he folded his arms. "So you heard too, eh? Chizuru's offering some special prize for any audience member who gets in the ring with the contestants."

"Ohhhh yes." Malin smirked. "It's not a question of what: it's a question of HOW MUCH. I'm not gonna pretend like I'm the best martial artist, but I am smart enough to know a weak target when I see it. Yuri's gonna have a hard time on her hands, heh heh."

Butt scoffed. "I can't say I approve of your tactics, girl. You're dirty as hell."

"Heh. That's the loveliest compliment you can give me~" Malin winked.

"You two... what are you fighting for? Material wealth?" Gato snorted. "You should be fighting for the chance you didn't get. This tournament is our chance to unleash our fighting prowess for the world to see... who cares what monetary incentives are being offered?"

"Oh get off your high horse." Butt retorted. "If you wreck one of the tournament fighters, you damn sure won't say no to whatever Chizuru's offering. Don't even play."

"Hmph. Fair enough." Gato allowed himself the tiniest of smirks upon his bluff being called.

"In any case, we're gonna have some serious competition..." Malin observed the numerous waves of audience members dressed for combat. "It might do well for us to stick together. Improve our chances?"

"Heh. You mean watch YOUR ass." Butt was wise to it.

"...I don't deny it. Hehe."

"You two do what you want." Gato dismissed. "I don't need anyone's help to crush my foe. I'm going to go in there, and show no mercy. Just don't get in my way."

Butt wiggled his hands dramatically. "Ooooh fine then Mr. Badass. The stage is all yours."

At that moment...a MASSIVE spike in the volume, as if someone was sitting on their tv remote and cranking the speakers to the max. There could only be one explanation... they had arrived. Sure enough, that was the case: the two main people of the evening came strutting into the Coliseum with smile and waves as the people went ballistic and screeched for things to finally get started.

"Welp, that's our cue." Malin grinned. "Best of luck, gentlemen. May fortune smile upon us!"

Butt chuckled. "Just don't go TOO hard on Yuri, okay? You know those guys are like family to me."

Gato merely let out a sharp breath as he turned around and folded one leg over his lap. His eyes focused intently on the two figures that had just arrived...

* * *

"Lift up your shirt."

Geese immediately grinned wide. "Whooa Chizuru! Not here in public, baby."

The woman was quick with an eyeroll. "Will you act your age? Sheesh."

Geese met her approach with no protest, as Chizuru grabbed his button-up white shirt and forcefully lifted it... upon seeing the horrid gash on his side, she nearly got sick right there.

"Oh my god, Geese! It's horrible!" she wailed. "You shouldn't be standing up right now! D-do you want a chair? C-can I help you get somewhere and sit-"

"Chizuru. Pipe down." Geese gruffly fired back. "Look, my body is scarred all over anyway. This is just one more mark, one more notch on my big-ass belt. I'll carry it with pride, just like all the other ones."

"G-Geese..."

"Now will you please get the day started already? For god's sake, the people are about to pounce like hyenas." Geese requested, while smoothing back out his fancy brown suit. Thankfully, he wasn't dressed for fighting today.

Chizuru grunted. "Fine, fine. Give me the mic..."

Giving her throat a good clearing, Chizuru put the mic to her pretty ruby lips... and finally lit the match to start the wildfire.

"Testing 1,2, testing. ATTENTION, MILAN ITALY!"

It took a few seconds for the raging tides to settle down a bit, but eventually things got to a quiet enough level that Chizuru could continue.

"Thank you. First of all... it's been a long, long week for us all. There's been some crazy fights, some things have... gotten a little out of control at times... but I just want you to look for a second. LOOK HOW FAR WE'VE COME!"

Those words triggered another thunderous round of cheers, as emphasized by the way Chizuru boomed those last words and sent shivers through the spine of the awestruck audience. Another recess was taken so everyone could quiet down.

"Thank you. Thank you! Now... the moment you've all been waiting for is here. TODAY... this great tournament will finally have a winner. The final four have fought and bled, undergone tremendous trials to get to this point. So... what do you say we GIVE THEM A LITTLE BREAK!"

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what Chizuru meant by those words. The rumor was officially true... and it was enough to produce yet another cacophony of ear-splitting cheers.

"THANK YOU! Before we move on to the semifinals... I want to give everybody a chance to have a little fun today! For many of our beloved contestants... defeat came far too quickly. Perhaps they didn't get a chance to show their true stuff. Perhaps there was some beef that never got settled. AND SO... it is my honor to announce on this final day... AN OPEN CALL FOR ALL FIGHTERS TO STEP IN THE RING!"

Pause for another cheer. This one took a lot longer to die down, as the fighters in the stands were just as crazy as the audience members over hearing this wild news.

"QUIET PLEASE! Thank you! Now... as we get things started, I want to give the first opportunity to JUST the contestants. Audience members, please remain in your seats as our contestants get in the ring and fight for your amusement. But don't worry... you'll get your fun in a little while. I have something special planned for you."

Malin's tongue slithered across her lips upon hearing that. Her grip on her knife grew even tighter, until the color rushed from her fingers.

"This is a day of celebration." Chizuru continued. "On this final day of the tournament, I don't want ANYBODY to go home feeling unfulfilled, incomplete... empty. This is a day for all of you to unleash the passion you have inside yourselves, to put on one final battle in the name of martial arts! NOW... WITHOUT FURTHER ADO... CONTESTANTS! GET IN THE RING AND FIGHT YOUR HEARTS OUT!"

Terry and Andy were the first to leap from the stands.

"Let's show em what we got, baby brother."

"I hope you're ready for this Terry. Our next brawl has been long overdue!"

The Lone Wolf brothers jumped in the ring and started going at it, producing an uproar from the audience upon seeing their beloved heroes trade fists.

"ZAINEKEN!" Andy shot forward elbow-first and rammed into Terry's chest with all his might. Terry luckily had his forearms up, otherwise he might have taken a dirt nap.

"Damn bro, you trying to kill me? CRACK SHOT!"

Terry sling-shotted forward with his somersaulting heel strike, but Andy was able to backflip out of harm's way. Taking advantage of Terry's recovery, Andy frontflipped forward, resting his hands on the ground and flailing with his feet to give Terry a taste of shoe. His brother was able to catch his ankles, and flip him like a coffee table.

Andy got back up... and Terry was coming at him FAST.

"BURN KNUCKLE!"

The younger brother would not be deterred; with all the fire in his spirit, he unleashed his strongest attack.

"CHO REPPA DAN!"

Andy launched at him, feet first... and those blazing feet collided with an equally powerful fist. The Coliseum was rocked with an awesome explosion of chi, as both brothers were sent flying backwards to an uncomfortable landing.

Joe ran out there, stomping angrily. "HEY COME ON! This isn't fair, man! You two can't have fun without me!"

"..You wanna play with someone, Joe? Play with me."

Joe spun around to capture that voice... and King was standing before him, already in Muay Thai stance.

Joe's face twisted. "K-King...?! Oh no you don't, young lady! Get your cute ass back to the stands right now! You're in no shape to fight!"

King stuck an adorable pose, wrist tucked underneath her chin. "Joe baby, if you talk to me like that again, I might have to kick your balls into your throat."

That one eliminated any sympathy in Higashi's heart. "Grrrrr... alright, King! YOU ASKED FOR IT!"

King and Joe met right in the center... with an explosive leg kick. Their shinbones clashed together in equal magnitude, their attacks meeting mid-swing and cancelling each other out. Their legs were forced to retract, as both fighters retreated back.

King was the first one to come forward. She fearlessly threw a front kick to Joe's pelvis, but Higashi lifted his knee high and absorbed her foot. The blonde didn't stop there; she easily barreled forward into Joe's range and started swarming him with left and right elbows. Joe was able to parry the curving strikes with his wrists... and he took advantage of an opening to seize King in the Plum Clinch.

Hands interlaced behind her head, Joe was about to jerk her body downwards and bring a knee into her torso... but a tinge of remorse flared up at the last second and froze him solid.

"Agh... d-dammit King...!"

King sensed his hesitation... and smirked. "Heh."

King pried his arms loose and curved an elbow into his temple, stumbling Joe backwards right where she wanted him: kicking range. Now able to use her bread and butter, King easily comboed Joe with an almost vomit-inducing side kick to the liver, before whipping that same foot upwards across his cheek with a reverse crescent kick.

For the mistake of showing King that second of mercy... Joe was treated to a faceful of dirt.

* * *

"HEY BIGGY BOY! CATCH THIS! RAIOKEEEEEN!"

Mr. Big looked up just in time to see a pink fireball raining down like a mortar. With a scoff, he combat rolled to the side to avoid the pretty explosion as it landed. He whipped out his Eskrima sticks and met the vengeful eyes of Yuri.

"I've been wanting to punch your bald head for a long time, Big." Yuri smirked. "Chizuru just gave me the keys to the amusement park!"

Mr. Big cackled. "Wah hahahahahahaha! You're still wet behind the ears, little girl. Let's see how well you do without big brother Ryo to back you up!"

Mr. Big ran at her; Yuri's first instinct was to nail him at range.

"KOUKEN!"

The pink fireball soared towards his face... but Big smoothly rolled underneath it and was unharmed. As he was now close to Yuri, Big was able to counterattack; he crossed his sticks around the back of her ankle and jerked back; like yanking a tablecloth, Yuri was knocked off her feet and onto her cute little backside.

"Owie...!"

"Heh heh heh." Mr. Big chuckled menacingly as he rolled backwards to a safe distance.

Back on her feet, Yuri came at him with revenge in mind. She lunged in with a deep left, only to strike the wood of his stick. She mixed it up with a huge right roundhouse... but the sole of her shoe only collided with Big's weapon and left him untouched. She pivoted her hip and tried to go mid... but her foot just whizzed past Big's body and forced her to take a huge spin to stay standing.

Big combat rolled forward, and let her have it with a three-hit combo: a painful smack to her knee that caused her to hunch over, a short, stinging conk on the forehead. Reeling from the pain of getting hit by solid wood, Yuri was helpless as Big threw the third attack: he spun around to gather momentum and let his stick loose in Yuri's stomach with a backhanded swing.

"Ouuuuf...!" Yuri was officially down for the count, feeling like she was banged like a gong.

"Heh heh. You got a little too big for your spandex, cutie pie." Big taunted.

"NOW TRY US!" a simultaneous yell rang out.

...The next thing Big saw was two feet plow into his face: one from The Raging Tiger and one from The Invincible Dragon.

The bald man tumbled across the ground, cursing as he broke yet another pair of glasses. "GUUH! Here come the white knights! NO MATTER! I'm looking for a little redemption of my own!"

Ryo and Robert clenched their fists... and awaited Big with pleasure.

Big came soaring at them like a bullet, courtesy of his Cross Dive; the two Kyokugens separated and Big shot right between them. As he recovered, the best friends closed distance and let him have it.

Big parried a high kick from Robert and shoved his foot away, only to receive a straight fist to the gut from Ryo. Stifling his desire to puke, he quickly lit up Ryo with a 1-2 to the head, his sticks thudding against his skull like a drum. As Ryo recoiled in pain, Robert came back in with a high kick, followed by a spinning roundhouse; Big parried the first one and swayed his head on the second one, opening Robert up to a brutal counter.

Big swung his sticks wide and smashed into Robert's ankle, chopping him down easily as Garcia hit the dirt. Big rolled backwards just in time to bring his sticks above his head and stop a board-breaking Karate chop, which surely would have split his bald head down the middle.

Big twisted and jabbed his sticks in Ryo's stomach, forcing the blonde on the retreat. Robert was back up, recovered from that low strike, and was charging at Big head-on.

Big made him pay dearly for that.

"BLASTER WAVE!"

The bald man unleashed the nastiest weapon from his arsenal; bringing his sticks together, he shot out a fierce wave of electricity in the form of a concentrated beam. Robert couldn't stand up to its electrical might, and he was fried like a fish.

Finally, Ryo came at Big one last time... and Big finished him off as well.

"SPINNING LANCER!"

Big's sticks became one, and he jammed the large staff into Ryo's stomach. As if that didn't shut down Ryo enough... with a twirl of his staff, Big struck his rival in the chin and laid him out flat.

"Ungh... cough cough cough... damn...!" Robert groaned as he too writhed in pain.

"Sh-shit... Big's been eating his Wheaties..." Ryo groaned aloud.

"ALRIGHT BIG! YOU'VE HAD YOUR FUN!"

Big hissed as his final opponent emerged before him: clad in traditional white Karate gi... and that red Tengu mask. How did he even get another one?! Does he keep his traveling bag full of those things?!

"Old man Takuma. I thought you called it quits." Big sneered.

"That's Mr. Karate to you, chrome dome." Takuma retorted. "And I think I have one fight left in me. You've got a little more karma due!"

"Have it your way. Here's a little blast from the PAST!"

Big rolled forward, his hand drawn back, preparing to unleash his stick... and Takuma gave him the surprise of his life.

"Whaaaa..?!"

Takuma threw a kick of such speed, grace, and flexibility... his foot was aimed at the sky. Despite Big's close proximity, the old man had succeeded in kicking the stick from his grasp; it flew outwards into the distance, never to return. Unless somebody went scavenger hunting, of course.

"HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Takuma kia'd as he threw a powerful straight fist to Big's sternum... probably powerful enough to shatter a cinder block. Big luckily didn't break any bones; his ass probably could have skidded for nearly half a kilometer though. He kept sliding backwards until the wall of the Coliseum granted him mercy and stopped him.

...At that moment, the legendary Mr. Karate collapsed to the ground. He had definitely just slipped a disc.

"Ryo... Yuri... help your papa, please."

* * *

Mai made the mistake of trying to throw a punch at Kasumi with no setup; the blue haired girl seized her arm and flipped her into the dirt.

"Nice move." Mai complimented as she used her hands to spring upwards and attempt to kick Kasumi on wakeup. Kasumi blocked the attack, but Mai still got the distance she needed to stand again.

Mai charged in with a knifehand strike; Kasumi bounced it off her wrist, spun around and protruded her elbow... directly into Mai's chest.

The brunette yelped as she stumbled backwards, tits flailing wildly. "H-HEY! WATCH THE GOODS, SISTER! I'd rather take one in the face, thank you!"

Kasumi grinned sheepishly. "S-sorry Mai..."

Mai charged in again; Kasumi ducked her strike and clinched with her, seizing her head within her biceps. Kasumi pulled Mai's head downwards, while simultaneously lifting with her hip... and Mai took another ride into the dirt.

...Mai's legs were not to be underestimated, though. As soon as Mai was dropped, she threw her legs up and locked them around Kasumi's neck. With one sharp yank, it was KASUMI'S turn to take a wild tumble. The end result was both girls grounded... and a race to see who would get top superiority.

Mai won the scramble, hovering atop Kasumi and attempting to smash into her with horizontal elbow strikes. Kasumi demonstrated her ground prowess; as Mai's arm came down, Kasumi threw her legs around it and seized Mai's wrist within her hands. Now trapped in an armbar, Kasumi was able to easily redirect Mai's body and toss her aside.

The two girls got up, dusted themselves off... and hugged.

"Did I mention I LOVED the year you were on our team?"

"Hee hee... same here. I wish could've been on your team again, and not that loser Eiji's. He takes his hatred of Ryo... a little TOO seriously."

Mai laughed. "Haha, yeah he needs to get a life."

"Oh tell me about it."

* * *

Yamazaki had found himself a willing playmate... one who had no qualms about jamming his long, red stick right where the sun don't shine.

The black-clad thug smoothly dodged the end of the pole, just as it was about to jam between his eyes. Billy followed through with the motion, pivoting with his right hip and trying to swing around with a horizontal stroke. When Ryuji dodged that one as well, Billy spun around a second time and tried to take him out at the feet. Yamazaki smirked and lifted his shoe, just at the moment the stick grazed the ground... and he brought his foot down and stopped it.

Billy tugged fiercely, trying to pry it from under Yamazaki's heel. But the thug just grinned wide as he kept his foot there, enjoying the struggle.

"Urgh! LET GO OF MY STICK!" Billy demanded.

"Make me." Yamazaki smiled.

"Grrrrr... you're asking for it, you clown!"

"Oh I'm BEGGING for it."

With a loud grunt, Billy changed his stick to loose form and it slid free. He wasted no time whipping it backwards and then letting it fly forward to give his rival a good smack. Yamazaki swayed his head and it whizzed past; Billy followed through by spinning around and letting it carry a second time.

Yamazaki anticipated the arrival, whipped out his knife, and parried it aside. With a look of maniacal bloodlust, he drew back and threw the knife dead towards Billy's face!

Seeing his life flash before his eyes, Billy quickly changed his staff back to solid form and, at the last possible second, was able to smack the knife off-course.

"Hey, what's the big idea! YOU COULDA KILLED ME!"

"That wouldn't have killed you."

"YER HAVIN' A LAUGH!"

"I swear, you would have lived."

"Bollocks!"

"Fine, fine, don't take my word for it." Ryuji shrugged.

Billy charged at him with the staff drawn back, intending to thrust it like lance, but Ryuji stuck out his large foot and kicked Billy in the chest before he could get unleash. Billy was about to fall backwards, but he stopped himself with the end of his stick and launched himself back forward with a swift counter. His staff struck Yamazaki on the cheekbone; the black-clad thug stumbled backwards a bit, his head still turned... but he only grinned like a madman.

Billy tried to move on him and punish.. but Yamazaki started getting dirty. As Billy charged in, his hated rival kicked up a dust cloud that permeated the whites of his eyes... immediately producing tears that turned his vision glassy.

With a cackle, Yamazaki brought his heel downwards and stomped Billy in the shin, causing his stance to buckle and the staff-wielder to fall forward... directly into a skull bash.

BONK!

As hard as Yamazaki butted him, the grinning thug seemed not even affected by it. Billy, on the other hand, was stumbling around like a drunkard before finally collapsing on his back.

"You... fuckin'... dirty... agghhhhhhh..."

* * *

Benimaru had found a willing partner to trade kicks with; his old teammate Duo Lon. He had always liked Lon for several reasons...mainly that he was a good kicker and was pretty hot. Benimaru could relate to him.

Their legs clashed like dueling swords. When Benimaru would kick low, Duo matched it with his own low kick. Benimaru tried to go mid, only to collide with Duo's own foot a second time. Finally, the two of them tried to aim high for the head... only to have a meeting of feet for the third time.

Angered by the stalemate, Benimaru started going for more unpredictable moves. He feinted a low kick and went high with his Raiji Ken instead. Unfortunately, he would never even reach Duo... as the Hizoku assassin was able to stretch his arm beyond human capabilities and slap Beni in the face with the back of his hand.

As if Benimaru hadn't gotten enough stretchy action, Duo Lon extended his foot to incredible length and kicked the blonde square in the chest. Benimaru's beloved hair got a taste of the dirt, and Duo Lon just stood there casually, his face unchanging... but one could swear he was trying to stifle a grin.

Benimaru got up... and he was more vengeful than a woman scorned.

"Duo... I dare you... I DARE YOU... to get my hair dirty again."

Benimaru charged like a madman and threw a flying knee; Duo smoothly sidestepped it, thrust out his long brown hair, wrapped it around Beni's leg... and slammed him into the ground.

"Well, you dared me."

* * *

Shen Woo fought the way he always did; putting the entirety of his body into every punch he threw, even if he shattered his hand in the process. Against his teammate, buddy, and past opponent... it was no different.

"READY FOR ROUND 2, OLD MAN?!"

As aggressive as Shen Woo came forward, Oswald was the epitome of cool as he easily dodged the incredibly exertive punches Shen threw. He showed little to no urgency, seemingly content to just let Shen punch himself out with these hugely energetic swings.

Finally, Shen came forward with a telegraphed swing... and Oswald sprang into action. Summoning a card from his sleeve, he closed distance on Shen, protruded his hand... and stopped Shen's arm solid.

"Unfh! Wh-wha..."

Shen's arm felt completely paralyzed; Oswald had inserted his card right underneath the groove of his elbow joint, stopping his arm in its tracks. Shen struggled a few times, trying to move it... but he was stunned stiff.

Oswald smirked as he held his right hand there, and whipped out a card from his free hand... which he threw into Shen's ribcage.

"GaaaAAAH!"

Before Shen could even stumble backwards, Oswald sent him on his way with a spinning backfist from his right hand... and in one fluid motion he let the card in his grasp fly forward and strike Shen on the bridge of the nose.

Shen was immediately on his knees, clutching his nose in pain. "AAAAAGh! God DAMMIT those things hurt!"

* * *

Chizuru checked her cell phone; it was amazing how time had flown by. She looked out there to see that many of the fighters were still having a great time. Most of them had gotten into it, save for a few: Heidern was well beyond this sort of nonsense. Athena wasn't getting into it either. Shingo was still sitting down, but only because he had been pestering Iori to fight him, to no avail. Elisabeth wanted nothing to do with it, old guys like Tung were smart enough to stay seated. Goro Daimon also had no desire to fight any further. As for the rest of them... maybe they just hadn't found a willing partner to fight with yet?

Chizuru was about to change that.

"ATTENTION FIGHTERS! PLEASE HOLD YOUR FISTS!"

Her voice blaring in the microphone had the same effect as firing a gun to stop a mob; all at once, the punches stopped flying as every fighter in the combat zone stood at attention to listen to what she had to say.

Chizuru spun around to the audience, facing them. "Our contestants fought hard to put on a show for you all. I saw every ounce of their fighting spirit in there. Safe to say, they didn't leave anything behind. And now, I ask you all... are you not entertained?"

The crowd broke out in a huge positive reception.

"ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!"

An even louder increase in the thunderous cheers and screams.

"THANK YOU! And now... the moment you've all been waiting for. I'm sure many of you out there have heard... certain rumors... about what I had planned today. And now, it is my pleasure to announce... THOSE RUMORS ARE TRUE!"

Chizuru smiled as she was forced to once again pause for an explosive outburst of applause from the audience, who were all fired up now. Many of them had even leapt to their feet, struggling to hold themselves back.

"AUDIENCE MEMBERS! I give you this chance now... anyone out there who believes in their fists, their fighting spirit... I implore you, get in the ring! There will be no restrictions, nobody to be turned away! ALL OF YOU ARE WELCOME! I'M DECLARING OPEN SEASON!"

Chizuru knew she wouldn't be able to silence them now; they were screaming their heads off and jumping from the stands like a horde of zombies at an all-you-can-eat flesh buffet. But she had one more point to make: one more very important point. Taking a deep breath, she put her lips to the mic and yelled with all her lungs:

"ONE MORE THING! ANY OUTSIDER WHO DEFEATS A KING OF FIGHTERS CONTESTANT WILL RECEIVE A $20,000 CASH PRIZE FROM GEESE HOWARD HIMSELF! THAT IS ALL! HAVE AT IT!"

With a long breath, Chizuru dropped the mic and sat down. She was definitely hoarse now; trying to get through to these people was like trying to control screaming kids at one of those pizza party places. She looked up at the clock: one hour had begun to count down. That was one whole hour that she didn't have to do anything. She could get a cold drink, sit back, shut up... and relax.

"Whew... well fighters, it's in your hands now. Good luck."

 **Oh my god this is so much fun. I'm giggling as I type this. Next chapter is going to be the craziest thing you've ever read. I hate that I even had to break this up into a two-parter, but believe me... it's for the best. I want Part 2 to BLOW. YOUR. MINDS.**

 **NEXT CHAPTER: Open Season has been declared! Audience members are flocking in droves at the chance to defeat our beloved fighters and earn some cool cash. How will the contestants fare? Will they watch each other's backs, or will it be every man for himself? Which ones will survive? Which ones will suffer the humiliation of actually LOSING to an audience member?**

 **FIND OUT NEXT TIME! I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT TO START TYPING! AHHHH!**


	39. Chapter 39: Open Call, pt 2

**Okay, a few things:**

 **1\. Onomatopoeias are fun, and in no way just for children's books.**

 **2\. I've gone mad with power. You're about to see why this took nearly two weeks.**

 **3\. If you actually make it through this chapter with your brain intact, you deserve a cookie. And a lifetime supply of root beer.**

 **4\. I won't blame you for skipping this chapter. No, seriously. Please, skip this. I started off having fun, and was suffering by the end. This chapter is an abomination on humanity.**

 **5\. Are you still here? (I'm going to ask this at the end too. You know... bookends lol)**

 **6\. Well, don't say I didn't warn you. Pull up a chair; you're gonna be here a while.**

"ANY OUTSIDER WHO DEFEATS A KING OF FIGHTERS CONTESTANT WILL RECEIVE A $20,000 CASH PRIZE FROM GEESE HOWARD HIMSELF! THAT IS ALL! HAVE AT IT!"

Chizuru's words gave strength to the weak, courage to the cowardly, a sense of purpose to even the most lost souls. It felt like everything with two arms and legs had converged in the combat zone, all with one ambition in their hearts: capturing that money. Sure, there were some that were more motivated by the immeasurable pride that could come with being able to brag about beating a tournament fighter... but that was just for the naive dreamers.

As many as would inevitably stand no chance, there were some that knew EXACTLY what they were doing. They bought a ticket and came to the Coliseum for a singular purpose: they knew they were good enough. They knew they'd missed their chance. The 2 million dollars would be lost to them... but $20,000 and the chance to fight was a pretty f***ing good consolation prize.

Regardless of motivation, audience members were SWARMING the combat zone... and the legit contestants were starting to feel like The Magnificent Less Than 80.

"COVER ME, ROBBIE!" Ryo shouted, just as he parried a straight punch with his forearms and sent an opponent into the dirt with a straight left. He spun around just in time to catch another challenger across the cheek with a round kick. One cheeky guy came charging in with a combination 1-2 and front kick. Ryo dodged the punches and blocked the rather weak foot with his wrist before putting this poor fool's lights out with a straight right.

Robert was having fun on his end, letting loose his legs and catching all sorts of prey with swift kicks, left and right.

"HYAH! 12! HYAH! 13! HYAH! 14!" he boasted as he dropped each man coming in hot.

"Stay behind me- Yuri? YURI!" Ryo called out his sister's name, but couldn't possibly hear her over the commotion.

"Damn! She must've gotten separated from us." Robert cursed. "Takuma's benched, so he can't look after her."

"She can take care of herself." Ryo assured. "I hope..."

* * *

The Lone Wolves were finally together as three... and it felt damn good. Each played their part, pulled equal weight, none among them feeling left out.

Terry was all smiles as a bold opponent walked forth and swung hard; his fist bounced off Terry's forearm pathetically, and Terry let him have it with a body hook that knocked the wind out of him like a deflated airbag. An airborne opponent came at him with a flying kick; Terry caught him by the scruff of his shirt and powerbombed him into the ground.

"Hah! That's 30 for me. How you looking, o brother of mine?"

Terry turned just in time to see Andy burying his forearm into the stomach of his victim. The ninja then spun around at the precise moment to nail an assailant from behind with a backfist. One guy closed from the left and actually landed a kick... though it merely grazed Andy's shoulder and the blonde ninja laid him out seconds later with the back of his hand.

"That's 32 for me." Andy boldly declared.

"Bullshit!' Joe spat as he finished off his opponent: a punishing knee to the face. Another enemy came at him; the poor guy never got close before Joe planted the ball of his foot in the victim's stomach.

"Well how many do you have then, math whiz?" Andy fired back, not even looking as he extended his fist to lay out an approaching victim.

"47."

"Bull..." Terry started.

"...shit." Andy finished.

Joe rolled his eyes. "I've been holding back on my chi. I'd have twice as many if not for that."

"Don't act like you're special. We haven't used our chi either." Terry grinned.

"Oh screw off." Joe stuck his tongue out. "Hm, I wonder how Mai's doing. You think she's been gangbanged yet?"

Andy pointed to the distance. "Mai's over THERE... and believe me, she's not on the receiving end."

* * *

They'd gathered en masse, sheep flocking to a shepherd of her infinite beauty and the adoration she so-easily commanded. What drove the minds of these hot-blooded males: the simple desire to have physical contact with her? No... maybe it was much deeper roots. Perhaps it was the psychological satisfaction of defeating her...of DOMINATING Mai Shiranui, making her submit to their power.

Or, it was her always-exciting shenanigans.

"Tell you what, boys." Mai giggled, striking a sultry pose with her hands behind her head, her breasts prominently protruded. "Let's have a little fun shall we? There's this kickass lady from a comic book, and she always delivers the same challenge to any man she meets: whoever bests her can bed her."

A collective rush of crimson flooded to every face, some even going as far as to suffer nasal leakage.

Mai got into stance. "So what do you say, boys? I'm offering the same challenge! Who wants a piece of Mai Shiranui? FIGHT FOR IT!"

Never had a man been more motivated. Whatever semblance of humanity was left in their brains had devolved to brutish, mindless, animalistic impulse. They were less men than primates: trying to fulfill a primitive desire to mate with the owner of the most rocking body under the cosmos.

Mai was the epitome of grace as she whipped out two fans from her cleavage and commenced an elegant dance as she parried the unsophisticated punches of her predatory opponents. Her body rolled like a tree dancing in the wind as her fan redirected the fist of an approaching opponent and sent him stumbling past her. She gave him a kick to the backside as a parting gift, sending him facefirst to the ground.

One approached from behind: Mai quickly closed her right fan and backhanded him in the nose with the hard wooden handle. Not even looking to see him reel, she faced forward and stopped an opponent in front of her, jamming the blunt end into his throat and collapsing him to his knees.

The fourth man actually managed to swing on her three times. She dodged the first two punches with elegance; when the third came, she extended her closed fan and stopped him just underneath the wrist, his knuckles inches away from her face.

With a smirk, Mai rolled her hand and redirected his fist away from his person... before stinging him HARD with the blunt object.

Another foolhardy man tried to ambush Mai in her post-attack; Mai closed the left fan and launched it like a dart behind her, catching him between the eyes with such force he was blasted off his feet.

Wielding just one fan now, Mai kept it closed as another man came to claim his prize. He charged at her relentlessly, growling, snarling... he couldn't even contain the drool from his mouth, as if Mai was the most delectable prime rib.

The fist came centimeters from touching her... and at the last moment, Mai's paper fan opened wide and sent his arm veering off to the right. Now fully exposed, he was helpless to prevent the tip of Mai's foot driving into his gut, stunning him solid.

As the man stood there, statue-still, paralyzed with pain... Mai closed her fan and conked him on the head with the wood.

Another challenger. He threw a wide left hook; Mai's head was nowhere to be found. He followed up with a right; Mai easily smacked his hand off-trajectory with her closed fan. His guard compromised, Mai brought the full force of her weapon SOARING across his face, blasting his lights out.

One particularly kicky individual came at her with feet swinging. Mai parried a left roundhouse, stopping his shoe with the wooden end of her fan. He twisted his body around, raised his right leg high to rain down on her with a heel strike; this was a mistake, as Mai raised her closed weapon and stopped his foot at the back of his ankle.

The man was left completely exposed, with only one stationary foot and unable to bring the other leg back, as it was trapped above Mai's head. He couldn't prevent what came next, as Mai spun around, went low, and chopped his stationary foot out from underneath him, sending him hard into the dirt.

Mai rose upwards, just in time to see another man come at her from the front; damn, she didn't have enough time! With a sigh, she was forced to use her only fan left as a projectile and knock him out from afar.

Luckily, not having her fans didn't make her any less of a fighter. The remaining men would all fall to her hand-to-hand skills. One man threw a punch in vain, his fate to be parried by Mai's knifehand and sent to oblivion by a spinning back elbow. The second man fell to a thrusting front kick to the stomach.

Finally, to play out this lopsided battle in style, Mai completed a perfect cartwheel, her feet soaring through the air until one protruded and met the temple of her final opponent. That lucky sucker was at least greeted to a last beautiful sight: her glorious ass cheeks jiggling in the breeze before her foot abruptly sent him to the world of darkness.

With a smile, Mai stretched a few times and strutted away, collecting her fans. Not one man would be taking her to bed today... except Andy, of course.

* * *

Blue Mary found herself a special dance partner; she knew it right away when he approached with his hands outstretched. Judging from the credentials around his gi, he was a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu... maybe even a second, third degree? He must've been seeking to make a name for himself by out-grappling the great Mary Ryan.

As soon as Mary got close, he shot for a single-leg. Mary sprawled, flattening herself out while pressing all her weight down on top of him to stuff his attempt. In a grappling match, whoever was on top had the advantage... right now Mary was bearing down on him, and that meant she led the dance.

...Little did she know, he would pull guard on her. Without warning, he flopped to his back, taking her with him. As Mary fell on top, he wrapped his arms around the back of her neck to keep her head pinned against his chest. She was in his full guard.

The next minute became a leg battle, as the man on bottom tried to sweep and reverse their positions, all the while Mary fought to pry her head loose. If she could just get some posture, she could pass his guard... hopefully into side control.

Unfortunately, the man DID get the advantage he needed; lifting with his left knee, he used his right leg to sweep Mary's foot off-balance. All at once, he used a combination of arm and leg strength to roll Mary off of him and reverse their positions... almost. The end result was not the man ending up on top... he had only succeeded in getting her to a rather sloppy side control, and Mary was back up to her feet before a pin could drop.

The grappler relentlessly clung to her, fingers digging into her red crop top so hard he nearly tore it from her bosom. Mary managed to achieve underhooks on him, and finally throw the little parasite aside.

A small respite was granted as the man cautiously approached, looking for an opening. Mary, on the other hand, was more interested in smoothing out her clothes to make sure the audience didn't get a boob shot.

Finally, the match resumed. The man feinted a low kick and DIVED at Mary's leg desperately. Mary quickly sprawled once again, stopping him... but this time, she would go for the kill.

Mary slipped her arms underneath his chin, snaking around his neck until he was in a crushing guillotine. All at once, his blood stopped flowing; seconds passed as the oxygen grew fainter and fainter. She could tell he was desperate, as he was pushing against her chest with all his might to try and pry his head loose.

"I don't think so."

Mary made sure he didn't have a leg to stand on. Keeping his neck trapped, Mary flopped to her back and allowed the momentum to carry them. The end result was the man flipping through the air until they ended up on the ground together, Mary facing south, the man north... and his neck still being absolutely wrung, crushed between a combination of Mary's armpit, bicep, forearm, with no avenue to breathe.

The man choked and gasped as the consciousness was squeezed out of him... seconds later, he went limp and was snoozing like a baby.

With a smile, Mary got up, took off the man's gi and covered him with it, so he would have a nice blanket for his slumber... however long it would last.

* * *

While the majority of the audience was focused on beating, dominating the contestants in hopes of glory, accolades, money... there were select few who actually had loved ones in the combat zone, and their maternal instincts shown true amidst the temptation of greed.

"FOXY, CANDY, FOLLOW ME!" Diana screamed. "NOBODY LAYS A HAND ON MY KULA!"

"...Diana."

"NO TIME TO TALK! WE GOTTA SAVE HER!"

"Dianaaaaa... she doesn't NEED saving."

"H-huh?"

Foxy grabbed her partner by the shoulder and pointed out to the distance. Diana squinted her eyes, leaned in close... and her lips curved upwards when she saw what her darling Kula had done.

The ice girl was happily sucking on an ice pop, her eyes closed, mouth curved wide with glee, as if she had no business being on what was pretty much a bloody battlefield.

And all around her... a mountain of bodies. They weren't bruised or bleeding...they were wearing a much different makeup: a plague of goosebumps, shuddering bodies, teeth chattering, once normal skin darkened by a bluish purple pigment... and snot waterfalls leaking from nostrils.

"Hey Maxima! Can we go see KK?"

Maxima looked even more out of place than Kula, just standing there with his arms folded and a look of boredom. But even crazier... he hadn't even BOTHERED defeating his opponents. In fact, they were still punching him at this very moment. At least 15 or 20 of them, all around him, raining their fists upon him with all the fury and fire their bodies could carry... but Maxima paid them no mind.

"Yeah, let's get out of here. I'm bored."

Maxima walked away, STILL getting punched as the legion of attackers started following behind him, their fists still pounding upon his imposing frame and having less impact than a housefly landing on a table. Further and further he walked, Kula in tow... and eventually, the people got tired of punching him and collapsed from exhaustion.

* * *

While the inadequately trained, hopelessly outclassed mobs of audience members swarmed the combat zone endlessly, like an army of redshirts being sent to die... the more highly motivated ones, with the skills to boot, had begun to pick their targets, masked by the chaos and confusion currently underway in the arena.

Their mission was simple: prey on the weaker ones, defeat them, collect $20,000, feel better about not getting the opportunity to be in the tournament. The mooks would work to their benefit, wearing down the competitors, softening them up... for the kill.

Vanessa was among the "easy targets". Everyone knew her shoulder had popped out, and it was probably a horrible idea for her to throw hands with anyone. That's EXACTLY why Axel Hawk and Michael Max were currently looking to give her a 10-count.

Two relics from the glory days of Geese and Krauser, these training partners in boxing thought they had the numbers and physical advantage to impose their will on Vanessa, rake in an easy score, and split the money between them. Sadly, they were completely unaware Mary already fixed her arm days ago... and Vanessa hadn't lost the slightest bit of snap in her punches.

Max tried to rush her from the left; before he could get close, a cracking uppercut followed by a straight left put him on wobbly legs. Axel came in from the right, mixing a body punch with a left hook; Vanessa absorbed the mid hit, ducked the high, and gave Axel a taste of his own medicine. As she ripped him to the body with a series of nasty hooks, his doughy exterior offered no protection to his fragile insides. Before long, the man was on shaky feet, his arms low... and Vanessa lit him up with a 1-2 that sent him on his way.

Max was back up, and coming fast. He threw a quick jab; it bounced off of Vanessa's shoulder, and she was able to duck and weave the next two power punches that came after. Upon dodging the second, she gave Max's insides the same test with a sharp blow to the liver. Max held up even less than Axel; his knees buckled, and a quick uppercut followed that sent him to the stars.

Vanessa spun around: Axel again. He tried to seal the deal with a right cross; Vanessa met him with a left and hers is the one that delivered true, as Axel's gloved hand just barely missed her ear.

As the outdated boxer danced a woozy dance, his head was wide open for Vanessa to piece him up with clean shots: left, right, left... straight down the middle, and he was down again.

An encore for Max. He went mid with a body punch; Vanessa once again opted to take it because she knew he was going high on the next one. And that he did; as soon as Max tried to lop her head off with a right hook, Vanessa ducked it and drove her knuckles into his ribcage. Before he could scamper away, three more shots to the stomach were a parting gift.

At this moment... Max and Axel took a moment to collect themselves. As they stood there, heaving, the entirety of their bodies aching... they realized all at once how the tables had turned on them. Their old-fashioned, narrow-minded way of thinking had come back to bite them: in this day and age, a woman boxer was superior... and they were yesterday's news.

...Perhaps it was the anger of that revelation that made them go forward one last time.

Max was the first to get it again; as soon as he came at Vanessa, she sidestepped his vengeful punch and caught him behind the ear. She was able to spin around just in time to deal with Axel; she kept her arms up to block the first two hits, before sidestepping the next whiff. He tried to throw to the body, but Vanessa backpedaled and the fist whizzed past her gut.

Axel charged at her mindlessly... and Vanessa gave him a ticket to see the sandman.

Uppercut. Uppercut. A THIRD uppercut. Axel was pretty much a wobbling tower of blocks... waiting for Vanessa to finally push him over. She did that in style: with a picture-perfect right to his jaw.

As Axel Hawk snoozed, Max was back for one last hurrah. Vanessa spun around, and gave him the same trip to dreamland.

Jab... jab... **BAM!**

A third hit followed the two jabs with Vanessa's full power; Max's eyes rolled backwards, and he collapsed right next to his partner.

Vanessa walked away with the pride of having felled two boxing legends... and now it was time to ice her shoulder. It freaking hurt.

* * *

A certain luchador was currently being put through the grinder: courtesy of a fellow rival.

"HNNNGH! HRRRRNKH! HNNNHAAAAAAH!"

"Cmon Ramon baby. You know you can't resist grappling with a sexy bombshell like me, nya~"

Ramon got reacquainted with Angel in the worst way: facedown on the ground, Angel on top of his back, putting him in a nasty leg triangle choke. She had her calf tucked underneath his neck, the top of her thigh bearing down and crushing him like a lion's jaws. All the while, she had one arm behind his back and was close to pulling the thing from its socket.

Although they'd been enemies at one point, when Angel was working for NESTS and Ramon was hired to do a job against them, he had to admit the snow-haired luchadora had grown on him a bit. They both shared a passion for Lucha Libre, which automatically made them closer than others. Hell, he was even considering asking her to join his team for the next King of Fighters.

...But damn, she could be naughty.

"NGAAAAAAH! I can't wrestle you when you're dressed like that! Put some clothes on!" Ramon whined, his voice obviously a little strained given his current predicament.

"You have to fight back, or I'll break your neeeeeeeeck~"

Ramon wouldn't put it past her. With that in mind, the man was forced to finally nut up and get out of this situation... if for no other reason than to be free of the embarrassment.

"Sorry for this, señorita."

"WHOOOA!" Angel squealed as Ramon tucked one hand on her thigh and one behind her ass, and pushed to throw off her foundation. Since he was physically superior to her slender frame, his strength allowed him to break the lock and get her off him.

They scrambled to their feet and stood before each other, feet wide and hands up.

"Got a little handsy there, didn't you sweetie? I know you liked it." Angel winked.

Ramon grinned. "Miss Ánjel , you're a beautiful woman... but my heart belongs to another. And she's far more glamorous than you'll ever be."

Angel didn't like that one bit. "You'll take back those words, señor!"

Angel's retaliation was a boot to the shin, followed by a slightly higher one towards the pelvis. As Ramon hunched over in discomfort, Angel closed distance and put him in a headlock, her back to him, his head tucked underneath her armpit, neck forcefully squeezed within three walls.

Angel got a running start and butt-flopped to the ground, sending Ramon on a painful collision course along with her. As soon as they hit the dirt, Angel tightened her grip twofold.

The corners of Ramon's vision were starting to blur; pretty soon he'd go dark. With defiant strength, he desperately pulled against Angel's grasp until his head popped free. The end result was Ramon emerging out the back door, now behind his opponent... a dangerous place indeed.

In an instant, the tables were turned and Angel found herself in a full nelson: her arms stiffened out, trapped within the hooks Ramon had slipped under each armpit. His limbs snuck back upwards, until both hands rested behind the neck, and he applied forward pressure.

Now it was Angel's turn to squirm; the pressure was equally daunting in both areas. She was left with only the use of her legs... which she utilized fully.

Raising her foot up, she brought it down on Ramon's shin and broke his stance. As the luchador stumbled, Angel thrust her arms downward to loosen the hold... and it succeeded. Movement restored, she seized Ramon's arm and slung him around, exposing his back to her. With a raised elbow, she brought almighty judgement raining down on his spine, bringing him to his knees with one blow. A second elbow drop took him down the rest of the way... this one TWICE as powerful, as Angel had leaped high in the air beforehand and came down on him with full body weight.

"Damn, you're feist-GGGHKH!"

Ramon's curse was stopped mid-sentence, as he found himself once again being choked out from behind. This one was pretty gnarly; he could already feel himself getting lightheaded...!

He acted fast. He knew Angel had one hand locked on the wrist of her choking arm, to hold it in place. He quickly attacked that area, prying the fingers apart... until her lock was broken and he was able to shake loose.

"D-damn! Maldito bastardo!" Angel cursed his name as Ramon spun around and manhandled her. He seized her waist and lifted; Angel found herself no longer standing, her body floating upwards... Ramon lifted her so high, her ass was pointing at the sky.

 **SLAM!**

Ramon dropped her in the dirt like a crate of produce. The impact alone stunned her solid, making her incapable of scrambling in time... and Ramon mounted her easily.

The crafty luchador easily passed into side control, slipped his arm around her neck, and gave her a taste of her own medicine: a triangle choke of the arm variety. On the outside, Ramon looked to be on top of Angel, giving her a big hug; in reality, her neck was being crushed between an unholy trio of armpit, bicep, forearm. The more he moved to the side, the more perpendicular he positioned himself... the tighter the deathgrip was.

Angel had no answer. As a choked whimper expelled from her, she closed her eyes and tapped like her life depended on it. All at once, the oxygen returned to her lungs, as Ramon crawled off and gave her some much-needed relief.

"Cough cough cough! Ugh... that's no way to- COUGH COUGH... treat a lady..." Angel whined as she sat up, massaging her neck roughly.

Ramon smiled as he sat down next to her. "Then how about this?"

Angel looked over with curious eyes as Ramon removed his shoe, reached inside... and whipped out a fancy ornate bottle... and the luchadora's eyes immediately brightened.

"Oh you better be giving me a hit of that."

Ramon removed the lid, turned the bottle upside down against his lips... then with a hearty exhale, he wiped his mouth and extended the offer to her.

"Bottom's up, señorita."

* * *

Butt ran his hands smoothly through his pompadour as he scoured the battlefield, seeking out an opponent worthy of his fist. Unlike that unreasonably prideful Gato, Butt had no shame in admitting he was fighting for not only the honor as a fighter... but that delicious $20,000 in cash. Butt could already taste that money, as well as the aspirations that came with it... his Kyokugen dojo would be looking first-class after this. Nonetheless, he had to find and defeat a Kumite competitor first, and he wasn't going to take the cowardly route like some others and pick off a small fish.

Luckily for Butt... his opponent would come to HIM.

"PREPARE TO BE VANQUISHED!"

Butt looked up just in time to see the hateful ninja Eiji Kisaragi come down on him with his slashing chi. Thankfully, Butt's white gi was the only thing that suffered a scratch, as pieces of white cloth went flying.

His bare torso further exposed, Butt got into stance and faced his attacker. "You got a reason for seeking me out?"

Eiji also got into stance. "I know who you are, Khushnood Butt. You train in the art of that cancerous Kyokugenryu Karate!"

Butt's face turned to a scowl. "You got a problem with that, punk?"

"I hate all practitioners of Kyokugen!" Eiji cursed. "If you affiliate yourself with those damned Sakazakis, then you're my sworn enemy as well!"

Butt chuckled as he gently stroked his pompadour. "Buddy... you need to get a life."

Eiji sprinted forward with a combination of knifehand strikes, going left, right, left in sequence... only for all three to be blocked by Butt's wrists close to his ears. Eiji continued the assault by launching a sequential left and right kick straight up the middle, but Butt smoothly backpedaled and his fists parried the ends of Eiji's feet.

Butt's arms flowed back into stance, and he came forward launching a front kick, following up with a quick right jab. The jab, although blocked, set up a powerful straight left behind it; which Butt lunged deeply and fired into Eiji's stomach.

Eiji felt his wind leave him, so he desperately created distance with a series of backflips. Unfortunately, this set him up for long-range ordinance.

"KOU KEN!" Butt fired the fearsome Kyokugen trademark, in the form of a blazing yellow fireball. It was sure to hit... but Eiji's own chi countered it effectively.

"RYU EI JIN!" with a spread of Eiji's arms, his defensive chi bounced the fireball away like it was made of rubber.

Butt rolled forward to dodge his own fireball, and Eiji took that moment to close distance. He swung at Butt with a huge orange-infused slash; Butt just barely dodged it in time to save his beloved hair. Eiji was forced to swing wide on his whiff, but he took advantage of it to spin his body all the way around and attempt to come across Butt's face with a wheel kick.

...That gave Butt all the opening he needed. As he raised his right arm high to absorb the impact of Eiji's left leg, which left his right leg completely exposed... Butt pivoted his hip and chopped that leg down with a FIERCE kick below the knee. His leg didn't even stop; it took Eiji's leg completely off the ground, to the extent that Butt's trajectory wasn't even interrupted for a second, as the dark-skinned man spun completely around to stabilize himself.

Eiji cried out in pain as he lay on the ground, clutching his hyper-extended leg in agony. Against wiser judgement, he was already trying to crawl back upwards... and Butt would grant him no mercy on this day as the Karate man got back into stance and resumed his work.

A backfist uppercut sent Eiji's chin upwards. As Butt's left arm rested vertical, he threw a booming kiai and thrust his right fist towards the body. hitting his mark once again, then FLUENTLY transitioned into a front kick, smacking Eiji clean below the forehead. Even at his age, Butt could generate the power and technique to lift his foot high enough to tag someone even at close proximity.

Eiji fell into the dirt again, left a broken mess. His leg was in agony, his breathing like acid... the bridge of his nose had a cut that traveled the entire length before resting right at his forehead. Even then, limping and blood tickling his face... Eiji's foolish pride made him get back up one last time.

This WOULD be the last time.

Butt got a running start, pushed off with his feet... and all but leaped like a superhero as his fist came upwards and took Eiji's chin on the same flight.

"HYAAH! KOU HOUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

They both hit the ground at the same time: Butt on his feet... Eiji laid out like a corpse. Honor for the Kyokugens, and $20,000, were now rightfully his. With a flick of his pompadour and a tightening of his black belt, Butt strutted away with a victorious grin.

* * *

For Detective Hon Fu of the Hong Kong PD, this was a glorious opportunity: Yamazaki was still suffering from severe burns, to the extent that his whole head (save for eyes and mouth) was wrapped in a bandage. And now... he was being offered 20 large to kick his ass. Right here and now, he was about to kill three birds with one stone.

"This is my day, Yamazaki!" his sworn rival boasted as he twirled his nunchaku rapidly, before allowing it to rest underneath his armpit. "I get to beat you senseless, take you in, AND make 20 grand in the process!"

Yamazaki rolled his eyes. "You know, you're not even the fun kind of prey, Hon Fu. You're just straight-up annoying. Maybe I should just kill you."

Hon Fu grinned. "Can you even see out of those mummy wraps to do the deed?"

Yamazaki beckoned with his left hand, keeping the right pocketed. "For your sake, let's hope not."

Hon Fu came forward and uncorked his nunchaku, letting the wooden end sail outwards towards Yamazaki's nose. The blonde man, epitome of smooth, swayed his head backwards just out of range of the erratic weapon.

Hon Fu retracted it and switched hands, letting it fly once again with a backhanded swing; Yamazaki ducked it, and Hon Fu quickly switched hands and spun around with a WILD swing. Yamazaki juked left just in time, lest the fast weapon smack him and dislocate something.

Hon Fu showed off a bit, twirling it around his head, gracefully alternating hands a few times as he demonstrated his skills with the rather difficult weapon. He swished it through the air a few more times before tucking it right back in the pocket of his armpit.

Like a samurai's quick draw, Hon Fu unleashed the weapon forward and conked Yamazaki on the forehead, making a rather loud THUD! as the wood hit his skull. Yamazaki stumbled backwards a bit... but he managed to stop himself before he fell.

As Yamazaki shook his head with discomfort, Hon Fu showed off a bit more. "HAHA! How do you like that! WOOTAH! HYAA! WAAAH! AYA! WAAAAH!"

Hon Fu got a little too passionate with his showing off; as he finished his exhibition, he was holding both ends of the nunchaku and had it spread out wide, protruding it outwards as he gave his high-pitched kiai.

The next thing he knew, his hands were empty; Yamazaki stuck the blade of his knife right underneath the outstretched chain, and gave the slightest little flick upwards, sending his nunchaku high into the air... until it landed out of reach.

Hon Fu was so distracted by the sight of his weapon flying away, he left his face wide open... and Yamazaki gave HIM a taste of wood as he backhanded Hon Fu across the face with the handle of his knife.

As Hon Fu lay on the ground, groaning, blood trickling from his nose... any thoughts of getting up were eliminated as Yamazaki casually rested his boot on top of his face.

"Urrgh.. aghhh...!" Hon Fu struggled under the weight, attempting to pry the ankle loose, to no avail. His cheek was being smooshed inwards, the horrid smell of leather and whatever Yamazaki had stepped in wafting to his nostrils.

Yamazaki whistled a merry tune as he cleaned out his fingernails with his knife.

* * *

Gato had been searching a while for worthy opponents; unfortunately, most of them were so caught up in the chaos that he didn't have a chance to get close. Many opponents ended up eluding him as a result... until he was forced to settle for something.

His opponent would come as a package deal: Kim Kaphwan's reform prospects, Chang and Choi. He wasn't sure if defeating Choi could even net him the prize money... but he was just happy to have someone finally.

Chang Koehan came forward the way he always did, swinging his deadly iron ball without a care. As Gato dodged each swing from the massive orb, Choi stalked around with his claws brandished, awaiting an opening to pounce his prey.

Gato's face could win poker tournaments; Chang leaped high and rained down on the stoic martial artist with an earth-shattering blow, but Gato easily leaped out of the way before the iron ball crushed the ground at his feet.

Before Gato could rest comfortably, Choi leaped at him with a swing that could carve his face like a turkey.

"Hmph." Gato scoffed as he shuffled backwards and dodged the short man. Choi wouldn't be deterred; he leaped high with another flesh-slicer, only to strike air. As Choi landed, he threw a low kick to attempt to trip Gato up.

Choi soon learned that Gato had an unbreakable stance; as Choi's foot struck his leg, it felt more like kicking a boulder, and Gato budged not in the slightest.

"G-gaaah?!"

With a sharp grunt, Gato lunged low with the knuckle of his forefinger and struck Choi dead on the forehead. His knuckle managed to catch the center gore of his sunglasses, breaking the dark lens right down the middle.

As the aggressive Choi was reduced to a yelping mess, stumbling around in pain while mourning his glasses... Gato showed him what a real sweep kick looked like. He put his entire body into the motion, spinning around a complete 360 as his leg tore through Choi's fragile root like butter and sent the short man on an uncomfortable descent.

As Gato rose back to his feet, he still had time to re-focus on the big, lumbering bear known as Chang Koehan. He grasped his iron ball with both hands, and was attempting to lunge and THRUST it into Gato's body, potentially breaking his body apart inside.

 **THUUUUD!**

The hollow echo of the iron ball was not from the breaking of Gato's bones... but from the impact of being stopped in its tracks. When Chang looked over and saw what it was... his jaw nearly detached, and took his beard with it.

Gato had merely extended his foot, and the sole of his shoe was what stopped the iron ball's forward motion. A lot of things about this picture were surreal: for one thing... his balance was unbelievable. With one leg sticking out, balancing himself on one stationary foot, his arms at his sides... Gato looked not the least bit out of proportion. He kept himself perfectly composed, with the patience and focus of a true artist. That alone was almost as impressive as the fact that Gato even POSSESSED the strength to stop an iron ball in full swing!

Gato showed Chang just how outclassed he was. Keeping his foot outward, he pushed off with his stationary foot and brought IT around, kicking the iron ball far to the left of Chang, until the Korean was forced to let go of the chain or be carried with it.

The martial artist smoothly spun around 360 in mid-air as he landed on his feet, took a deep lunge, feet yards apart, knees wide... and he extended his palm with an almost VOLCANIC explosion of power.

"GRRRHAAAAA!"

The force, speed, magnitude of Gato's palm had no equal. Upon impacting deep within Chang's belly, he literally kicked up a ring of dust that spread all around them, taking several seconds to dissipate. The ripples could be seen in Chang's jiggly stomach, and one could even swear his fat had CAVED INWARDS.

"Oooogh... ooog... oooghhhaaaaahhhh..."

With an uncomfortable series of almost constipated groans... Chang collapsed on his face and was granted the mercy of sleep.

Gato straightened his clothes, gave a low sneer, and started to walk away... but Choi Bounge was looking to bring some vengeance.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Gato turned around with no urgency, no elevated heart rate, even as Choi was about to rain down on him with claws craving blood. His face kept that same emotionless palate as his body coursed with blazing pink chi... and he put Choi's lights out for good.

His body soared upwards, leg extended vertical, like a mortar launching from the cannon. His body was engulfed with chi as he ran through Choi with the greatest of ease, skyrocketing into the air and taking the short man's body with him. His foot continued to bury into Choi as they flew upwards... upwards... until they must have been hundreds of feet in the air.

The descent for the two was on quite opposite ends: Gato landed casually and walked away with a "hmph"... while Choi crash landed with his eyes rolled backwards.

Now content with the fury he unleashed, Gato walked away with his pride... and 20 big ones.

* * *

"Whoa, Terry!"

Terry ducked an opponent and uppercut him to oblivion. "You say something, Joe?"

"Take a look at that badass! What the hell's he holding?"

Joe pointed out into the distance... toward what appeared to be a lone man beating the shit out of Geese's former lackeys. In his hand was a very distinct curved object...

"...It's a boomerang." Terry noted.

The man known as Sho Hayate was having no difficulties with his opponents. He slammed the wooden instrument into Big Bear's kneecap, then rose upwards and struck him upside the chin with it just as the burly man started to hunch over. Finally, he sent Bear backwards by jamming the thing into his fat gut.

Without a moment's delay, Sho spun around and chucked it at Duck King, just as Duck was planning to sneak up on him. The boomerang returned to Sho's hand, after fulfilling its purpose of clocking Duck in the face and dropping him.

Hwa Jai was the only one still on his feet, as he came in with a flying kick. Although that one missed, it set Sho on his back feet and allowed Hwa Jai to come forward with a combination; left elbow, right elbow, right roundhouse.

...Sho's boomerang was just too versatile. He was able to use it for defense, deflecting the blows with ease as they came at him. Finally, he dodged a leg kick from Jai by leaping high into the air... and he let the boomerang fly and took Jai out where he stood.

As the mysterious warrior wiped his sweaty black hair, all three of them limped back towards him, surrounding him from all sides: a final stand for their pride as fighters.

Sho merely smiled.

 **THUDTHUDTHUD!**

One mighty fling of his boomerang, and it sought out all three heads at once, giving a rhythmic clunking of wood against skull. Before a droplet of sweat could fall, the boomerang returned to Sho's hand... and on cue, all three opponents fell over at once.

A few yards away from that massacre, a young Japanese man with orange hair was also having fortune on his side. He was humbly clad, bearing the most standard of foot wraps, MMA gloves, and a pair of multicolored trunks. One could easily tell this kid was fresh from the Octagon... especially from his impressive body, and his well-rounded fighting style.

Gai Tendo had attracted the attention of the USA Team minus one, and the kid was holding his own even against two of the most seasoned veterans of King of Fighters.

Lucky Glauber fired off fast, whipping side kicks, his long leg pushing Gai back with every strike. Gai kept his arms up high to block them, but he was still losing ground. The kid was unworried: he was a master of Total Combat, and that meant he knew every aspect of striking and grappling. He knew where to attack to open up his opponent, when to shoot for a takedown, when to clinch and soften up the body with knees. Even at his young age, Gai was a fighting expert.

Gai started by chopping down his long legs; with a kiai, he threw a powerful leg kick that buckled Lucky's right knee. Lucky started to go down... but he straightened back up quickly and came forward with a huge roundhouse.

Gai dodged the kick... and once again attacked that same leg. As his shin drilled into Lucky's knee, the basketball martial artist went down like a severed beanstalk. But before Gai could approach and punish his downed opponent... Brian Battler came storming in.

Gai was nearly swept off his feet by the lumbering football player, but he stayed upright and achieved underhooks to stop the takedown. As they sprawled out, Gai slowly worked his way back up... until he could start blasting Brian's midsection with knees.

One knee landed flush. Another knee. ANOTHER knee. Brian had no idea what to do, as the underhooks prevented him from defending his body. After the fourth knee rammed into his stomach, Brian collapsed... and his head was wide open for the fifth knee.

The football player was felled hard, his forehead split open from the clean impact, and Gai turned back around to focus on Lucky Glauber, who was back at him.

Gai resumed his work from before; he fired a clean, unchecked leg kick to Lucky's same knee, and the basketball player buckled. Gai went for ANOTHER kick; this time he feinted low and went to the liver. Lucky was reduced to a stumbling mess, as the hard impact to his liver essentially shut down his bodily movements... and Gai lit him up with a nasty body/head hook combination before finishing with a leg kick that sent Lucky facefirst to the ground.

Lucky was done for... but Brian was still game. This time, he would use no wrestling; he drew back his arm and swung with all his might to knock Gai out.

...Gai could see it coming from a mile away. Like flipping a switch, Gai switched up his fighting style; he ducked the sloppy hook and shot for a single-leg. His arms wrapped tight around the top of the thigh, lifting Brian's leg off the ground and getting him hopping on one foot.

Finally, with a smooth trip of the stationary foot, Gai took the huge football player down and put him on his back.

Gai easily passed into full mount, and started blasting Brian with a flurry of punches. The football player, ignorant of what to do when pinned, started taking clean punches to the face... and he did what any unknowledgable person would do in that position: panic and roll over.

As soon as Brian gave up his back, Gai sealed the deal; he tucked both legs in, snuck his arms around Brian's neck, and put him in a Rear Naked Choke. Brian was out before he could even tap.

"...Wow." Terry let out a whistle. "You know Joe, I think we've been too narrow-minded about this whole thing."

"Yeah?" Joe inquired.

"Yeah. You know, I seriously thought that the 80 best fighters in the UNIVERSE were the ones fighting in this tournament. But, I mean... how can we really know that? You gotta wonder... what if there's someone out there who could've beaten all of us, he just didn't make it to Italy?"

"Huh. You make a good point there, my friend." Joe agreed. "I guess we're lucky some of these guys got beaten to the punch."

* * *

Yuri was wandering around like a child lost in a grocery store; Ryo and Robert were far away, Mai was missing, King was SURROUNDED by assholes trying to take advantage of her injury. And here Yuri was, caught up in the middle of it all... looking for someone to call a friend.

Unfortunately, she would find no allies; the next person to come into contact her was poised to strike.

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN, YURI!"

Yuri spun around, just in time for Malin to dive at her with a swipe of her knife.

"AGGH!" Yuri yelped as she felt her gi get partially sliced, and Malin barrel rolled swiftly out of danger. When the blonde got back up, she turned towards Yuri... knife brandished.

"Malin!" Yuri growled. "I only have so many of these!"

Malin grinned maliciously. "Heh heh. I'm gonna cut your top open, so the world can see your disgusting little boobs... and then I'm gonna knock you out cold and collect that prize money!"

Yuri scowled as she got into stance. "Hmph! Once a coward, always a coward."

That was Malin's trigger word; with a furious cry, she shot forward and started swinging her blade erratically like a serial killer chasing high school girls. Her strikes were lacking in discipline, composure... which lent Yuri the advantage.

Yuri's head movement was surgical: left, right, left, bob, weave, sway, duck... she was able to time the arrival of the blade easily and move well out of range of its jurisdiction.

Finally, she saw Malin aim the blade forward; she knew she was about to stab.

Yuri anticipated the arrival of the thrust; just as Malin's wrist started to come forward, Yuri interrupted her hand with a front kick, knocking the arm off-trajectory and sending the dagger flying out of reach.

Before Malin could gasp, a combination to her stomach and face sent her backwards.

"UGH! God f***ing dammit!" Malin spat as she struggled to get her footing back. "You little skank!"

Yuri's response was to bend over and spank her own butt in taunting nature.

"Grrr..."

Yuri started to come forward, and Malin whipped out her second toy: her deadly yo-yo, which she wasted no time in twirling to gather speed before letting it forward.

WHOOOSH!

Yuri felt the air on that one, as she just barely dodged it, and the deadly barbs attached.

Malin retracted it and crept forward, spinning it around vertically, counter-clockwise. She inched forward, inched forward... trying to throw Yuri off her rhythm.

FWOOOOSH! The yo-yo shot forward; Yuri swayed to dodge it, but the blade sliced her red headband and sent it floating to the ground.

"You BITCH!" Yuri cursed.

Malin retracted the yo-yo and sent it forward, just as Yuri tried to throw a punch... it wrapped around the brunette's wrist, seizing her tight.

"NGAH!" Yuri started tugging backwards in defiance... but it had her tighter than an anaconda devouring its prey.

They struggled for a few seconds in a circular dance, playing tug-of-war in an attempt to gain advantage over the other. Finally, after a stalemate for at least two minutes... Yuri yanked back with a strong tug and sent Malin stumbling towards her.

RIGHT... towards her. Headfirst.

 **BONK!**

Their foreheads collided, each giving a simultaneous "OWW!" as the struggle commenced once again. They wrestled each other for another minute or two, before Yuri finally gained the advantage once again; since she was a more defined martial artist, she was knowledgeable enough to trip Malin's leg, send her airborne, and shoulder toss her to the ground. Of course, Yuri went with her since she was still tangled.

After several, SEVERAL minutes of wrestling on the ground with Yuri, which actually managed to attract some male eyes... Malin started to realize that having Yuri trapped in her yo-yo cord wasn't as beneficial as she thought it'd be. With that in mind, Malin decided to cut her losses. Emphasis on CUT.

Yuri had to act fast when the claws came out; Malin had unsheathed them in record time and severed the wire binding the two together. Even FASTER, those claws came forward and tried to take a swipe of Yuri; the Karate girl dived backwards, but was unable to save her clothing, as the sharp talons ripped through them with ease.

Seeing Yuri's shredded top was a huge moral victory for Malin... but it set Yuri ABLAZE with fury. That ended up ultimately being Malin's downfall.

"I'M GONNA SLICE YOU U-ahhghhh...ahhhhhghhhh..."

What started off as cantankerous threatening turned into a pathetic whimper, as the wind was knocked out of the windbag by a VICIOUS body punch. Yuri leaned into it, like firing a left cross... but her fist had went low instead of high to pound deeply into Malin's gut.

As Malin went limp on her feet, an uppercut by Yuri put stars in her eyes. As if she wasn't dazed enough, Yuri grabbed her by the shirt, drew her open hand back... and straight-up unleashed her inner bitch.

 **SLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAP!**

Forward. Backhand. Forward. Backhand. Yuri's bare hand ached with a pleasurable warmth as it smacked Malin's cheeks over and over and over and OVER. Before long, her face was swollen, lips split open from being cut by her own teeth, blood drizzling down both corners... but Yuri was almost too excited to quit.

It took a bit of willpower just to stop slapping Malin... almost like trying to stop smoking. It felt SO GOOD connecting on her bare flesh, the sensation in her hand like ecstasy... but Yuri realized she had to return to reality, and she finally let the girl fall to the ground.

"Once a coward... always a coward." Yuri spat at Malin's feet before walking away.

* * *

If there was anybody who had completely and utterly SCREWED THE RULES... it was Marco Rossi. Nobody knew how the hell this commando had somehow gotten past the eyes of the officials, Chizuru, Geese, anybody with a shred of sense... but right now, he was breaking every single rule in the book, and pretty much violating everything it meant to be a martial artist. He was either ignorant, extremely stupid, a menace... or he simply wanted $20,000 VERY badly and the rules on defeating a competitor hadn't been clearly defined.

...Thus, he was currently shooting at Leona with a big-ass M60 LMG tucked in his arms.

 **RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!** The bullets flew like particles from a wood chipper, spraying the combat zone with steel rain and making tiny little dust puffs from all the impacts along the ground.

Leona had a running start on him, therefore she had been able to maintain a good pace ahead of the barrel to avoid being filled full of holes. Everything behind her, however, was being apparently ripped to shreds as all she could hear was the PINGS! of bullets landing. And the screams... they were horrific.

The blue-haired soldier finally combat rolled forward... into a crowd of hungry audience members. As she hid behind her legion of meatshields, the screams of them falling to bullets was like a living nightmare, burrowing into her earlobe and terrorizing her soul.

...But strangely, there was no blood. In fact, nobody was even DEAD. They just looked to be in a lot of pain... was this asshole firing blanks?!

Sensing her opportunity, Leona BURST from the crowd of people and caught Marco completely by surprise.

"Ah-ahhh! Shit!"

 **SLASH!**

Marco's eyes shot open as the barrel of his machine gun was completely sliced off, hitting the ground with a metallic THUD. The rest of the gun slipped out of his utterly shocked fingers, until the only thing standing between him and the vengeful daughter of Heidern... was prayer.

...But Marco was a crafty soldier. He always had another weapon up his sleeve. Before Leona could strike, Marco reached on his side holster and whipped out his black Desert Eagle, aiming the barrel and unleashing.

 **BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM!**

Leona dived forward to avoid the onslaught and combat rolled behind him. As Marco spun around, Leona snatched the gun out of his hand and tossed it into the air. She leaped up behind it, meeting it in mid-air...

 **SLASLASH!**

Two swift strokes from Leona's hands, and she landed on her feet... one second later, pieces of Marco's pistol fell all around her.

With no other options, Marco was forced into close combat; he drew his combat knife and rolled forward, getting into a fighting stance. Leona met him halfway, getting into her own stance as well, anticipating the arrival of the blade with clenched teeth.

"HYAH! HAH!" Marco grunted as he lunged and swiped twice, one horizontal, one vertical. When those two missed, he switched to a backhanded stance, leaped high, and tried to come down on Leona from above. The blue-haired soldier rolled backwards, just in time to avoid the attack.

Marco regained himself and charged forward; Leona did at the same time.

 **SLASH!**

They now stood on opposite sides of each other, in post-attack. The question was... which one got hit?

...That question was answered when the blade of Marco's knife fell off and hit the ground, leaving him with nothing but a wooden handle.

"Ah... n-nuts."

The last thing Marco would see before going to sleep was Leona's foot.

* * *

King didn't actually WANT to be a part of this anymore; she'd just gotten lost in the anarchy and was unable to find a way out. To make matters worse, the whole viewing world knew of her rib injury, and so every opportunist under the sun was looking to cash in on an easy 20 grand.

She would not make it easy for them.

"TORNADO KICK!" King plowed through an entire crowd at once with a flying kick to sobat, strengthened by her chi. She drew her elbow back sharply and caught one coming in from behind; from the front, she extended her foot to the liver of an attacker, before spinning around and going high to put his lights out with a second kick.

A wrestler tried to dive at her legs; King actually extended her foot just as he was trying to shoot, causing him to run headfirst into her shoe and be laid out flat.

King threw a back kick behind her to stop one; she had to bring that foot back forward and go high to the nose of another.

...She was doing so well. How unfortunate that one lucky asshole had to land a hit on her.

"UNGH! SHIIIIIT..." King cursed as she clutched her side in pain and retreated. She tried to backpedal, but her feet slipped out from under her and she embarrassingly fell to her knees. "Lucky... asshole..."

King looked all around her; they were about to pounce on her like lions on a steak. These people weren't concerned with words like "mercy" or "sympathy"... right now, they were fueled by GREED. Chizuru, as good as her heart was, managed to bring out the blackest emotions in what was surely otherwise decent people. And now... they were going to trash King for their own personal gain.

...That is, until a bald man came TORPEDOING through them.

"Wha...?" King's word got caught in her throat when she saw who her rescuer was. It was undeniable; nobody else could stand out or carry oneself like he did. He was the one... the only...

"We got your back, Cécile."

King's face turned the most uncharacteristic shades of red upon hearing that name. She wanted to unleash an outburst right there in his face... but she was still stunned by the fact that he was even here, right in front of her.

He dusted off his coat, brandished his Escrima sticks (which he DID locate somehow) and flashed that same filthy, douchebag grin.

"Don't ever say Big didn't take care of his boys."

King watched with eyes wide as Jack Turner, Mickey Rogers, John Crawley ran out and started beating down her oppressors, one by one. In moments, the crowd of bloodthirsty wolves had cleared... along with King's escape route.

King got back up, dusted herself off a bit, fixed up her hair, and got in Big's face. She had her hands on her hips, like she was ready to unleash some sass. She sharply drew breath, threw up a finger...

...Her worlds failed her, when she needed them the most. Instead of the verbal retribution she had planned for him using that name, much less having the audacity to pretend to be some chivalrous knight on a white horse... she realized that he DID just save her pathetic ass, and thus had a last-millisecond change of heart to humility.

"Th...TH...B-BYE!"

Mustering herself as best she could, the flustered King ran past her old mates and sprinted to freedom, trying her best to hide the crimson on her face.

* * *

Meanwhile, far to the side of the hustle and bustle... a personal confrontation between two siblings was about to reach its peak. These two brothers stood before each other with a similar ambition in their hearts... for that reason, they would raise a fist even against their own blood.

...Actually, they had a different, much more effective plan in mind.

"Brother! I'm here!" Jin Chonshu called out to his older brother, who stood before him with an intense face.

"Good. We can get started." Jin Chonrei coldly declared.

"B-brother. You don't mean...?!"

Strangely, Chonrei's next course of action was baffling, considering his current demeanor. Instead of getting into combat stance and preparing to fight... he walked up to his younger brother with arms wide open, his face stuck out like it was being offered.

"This is it, Chonshu. Hit me."

Chonshu stood still, his confusion reaching an even higher plane. "Wha... Chonrei, you want me to hit you?!"

Chonrei nodded. "Don't you get it, brother? Don't tell me I have to spell it out for you!"

"I...b-but I..."

"GAAAH! If you weren't so adorable, I'd throw you out a window!"

The older Jin approached the younger one, kneeling down, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders. Chonshu's face started to turn the slightest red tint...

"B-brother... Ch-Chonrei..."

"My dear brother... you have to hit me." Chonrei whispered softly. "Don't you see? This is why fate chose me to take Takuma's place in the tournament. THIS is what the greater plan was... for this opportunity. All you have to do is hit me. Knock me down! You will be declared the winner, and $20,000 will be ours!"

Chonshu's fist trembled. "I...I... really... we get... all that... money?"

"Yes!" Chonrei smiled. "It's all ours! But you must hurry, before it's too late! Cmon!"

"I...I... I don't want to hit you...!" Chonshu cried. "What if I hurt you...?"

"A swollen cheek will disappear quickly, baby brother." Jin smiled. "But that money.. it will last FAR longer. Finally, we can work towards the life we wanted... a life where we can take care of ourselves! Doesn't that sound good?"

Chonshu looked down, tears forming... but his fists clenched in contrast. Maybe he was allowing himself to cry for what he was about to do, since he wasn't going to back down from it. He would punch his brother, it would feel terrible... but at the end of the day, their lives would improve drastically for it.

"Sniff...sniffle...okay, brother. Here I come!"

He didn't bother trying to hide his tears as Chonshu drew his fist back, let it fly... and struck his brother square in the jaw.

"OOF!" Jin was felled by the sucker punch, landing on his butt. He winced in pain slightly, rubbing the afflicted area... but a second later, he was laughing.

"Hahahaha...HAHAHAHAHA! BROTHER! YOU DID IT!"

Older Jin was back on his feet in no time. The red and blue clad brothers all but tackled each other, smothering themselves in an affectionate embrace, laughing at the revelation of their newfound wealth!

"AHHH! WE'RE RICH, CHONREI! WE'RE RICH!"

Chonrei chuckled as he ruffled his brother's hair. "We're not millionaires... but this will be more than enough to get us by. Thank you, my brother. You did great."

Chonshu's face regained its redness, this time twice as strong. "Ch-Chonrei... thank you~"

* * *

"WOLFGANG KRAUSER! I CHALLENGE Y-"

The man was cut down by Krauser's backfist before he could finish uttering that foolish decree.

The purple haired man let out a sigh; out of everyone, he was probably having the least fun. For one thing, he was still bummed out about his elimination; he had Athena dead to rights, had all but cemented his status in the quarterfinals... only for her to pull some bullshit and blow him away. The whole thing had left him sour; it was almost like another blemish on his honor which he held in such high favor. This little game Chizuru had going on should have been able to cheer him up a little... but these mere trifles could do nothing to sate the emptiness he felt within himself.

...A likeminded individual was not far away.

Krauser didn't notice him until he saw three bodies fall before the large figure. They weren't competitors... it would seem this stranger, clad in bright golden armor, was attacking whoever was in his path, be they friend or foe. Perhaps he was trying to clear a path to a worthy opponent?

The man, with his gigantic frame and huge red mane, seemed to finally notice Krauser, as he completely forgot everyone else around him and approached the Emperor of Darkness with no fear.

"You seem bored." the giant among men spoke, placing one hand on the hilt of his sword, which rested at his waist.

Krauser couldn't see his face on account of the gold mask obscuring his eyes, but he made eye contact as best he could and responded.

"Indeed I am, stranger. And it would seem you are too. To whom am I addressing?"

The man puffed out his chest, exuding an almost regal air. "Hah! Stranger? That is King to you. You are addressing King Leo himself, peon!"

Krauser folded his arms, a grin forming. "King, eh? I like the way you carry yourself, King Leo. You and I seem to share similar ideals. You look like a man who commands the highest honor and respect of those who pale before him.

King Leo laughed. "Correct. And you are?"

Krauser stroked his mustache. "I am the Lord of Castle Stronheim, The Emperor of Darkness, Wolfgang Krauser. Don't forget it."

King Leo's sword was out of its scabbard in seconds. "So you declare yourself above other men, eh? Then that makes you a RIVAL! I would test your mettle, Lord Krauser!"

Krauser felt the fire in him as he got into stance. "You dare to oppose me? Then your downfall will be quick and brutal. EN GARDE!"

* * *

Kim Kaphwan mowed down legions of them; the ravenous masses looking to take advantage of a guy who had taken several beatings in this tournament. Kim was still bitter about it; this was reflected in the strength of his blows, as each kick carried a special hint of fury in them.

"ACHAAAAAA!" Kim felled an opponent with a kick so powerful, it may have even broken the poor guy's nose.

As the Korean was entwined in the throes of fury... his keen sense allowed him a distant observation: a blue-haired female close to him seemed to be losing ground.

"M-May Lee..."

Kim squinted his eyes and looked closer: sure enough, his Korean counterpart was going quite poorly against a clearly lopsided ratio. She dropped one with a flying kick, but took a rear attack to the back of the head and was ping-ponged into a haymaker from a frontal opponent. By the time she managed to drop him with a front kick to the face, another leg came soaring into her ribs.

"Ungh...!" she cried as she went down, and, seconds later... a spinning kick crashed across her cheek.

"MAY LEE!" Kim called out his teammate's name as he went running like a man with a purpose. No unfortunate soul who stood in his way lasted a second, as the Tae Kwon Do master tore through thim like they were less than nothing.

"CHANG! CHOI! WE GOTTA SAVE-"

...Kim soon realized that calling out their names was useless, as they were still laying unconscious on the floor from a brush-up with the ruthless Gato.

Forced to tackle it alone, Kim continued to push past them. Legion after legion, group after group... he could just barely make out the tuft of dark blue hair on her head...

...One more obstacle would bar his path.

Kim's advance was halted, courtesy of the man he called friend, fellow master... rival. He looked pretty healed up, though his face bore no expression of joy or warmth as he reached a hand up to brush his snow-white mane aside. He was balancing himself on one leg, one arm containing a favorite book he was currently re-visiting.

...But the tiny print of the pages would go ignored, as his eyes were only on Kim's.

"Jhun..." Kim called out his rival's name. He was already getting into stance, as his intuition told him Jhun Hoon was looking for Round 2...

...But Jhun's next actions baffled him. The white-haired Korean suddenly turned his back to him, threw his beloved book high into the air... and went headfirst into the crowd assaulting May Lee.

A leaping side kick smashed the face of an attacker, and he pushed off of the face to stay airborne and took out two more at once with a looping kick. Before he even touched the ground, the agile man twirled in mid-air and brought his heel crashing down on the crown of another. After landing, he took a deep lunge, and thrust his leg into the stomach of another victim, sending him flying so hard he knocked over the people behind him like bowling pins. Finally, a spinning kick like a hurricane took out three people behind him.

...The book descended from the sky and landed back in his grasp.

"Consider that my apology."

Those were Jhun Hoon's only words to his longtime friend.

* * *

Speaking of losing battles, Bonne Jenet also was on a downhill slope.

"NGAAH! SH-SHIT!"

Bonne Jenet took a hard kick to the stomach. As the blonde stumbled backwards, she was wise to spin around and check her rear; she was able to swish her dress and parry the punch of the assailant before her and take him out with a spinning kick. She quickly went 180 and threw a back kick to the face of the one coming in for another hit.

The blonde pirate queen was granted a moment of collection, as she attempted to get her ducks in a row... but the ducks were ALL AROUND, and looking to unleash some hell in the name of that prize money.

"H-hey... can we work this out?" Jenet chuckled. "I, uh... I'll give you my body, heeheeeheehee..."

...Luckily for her, that wouldn't be necessary.

"AGH! UGH! OOGH! AGGHKHH!"

They went down one by one, courtesy of crushing palm strikes to the midsection. One tried to counterattack, only to receive an elbow to his gut, followed by a forearm uppercut. Another tried to approach from behind; the figure smoothly spun around and extended a closed fist that sent the man FLYING like a paintball.

Finally, the last attacker received an extra grisly fate; he found himself being pounced upon, legs criss-crossing around his neck, pressure being applied... before he lost consciousness and was dropped in the dirt, his fate to be used as a chair as the figure sat on top of him oppressively.

The figure stood up, brushed off his clothing, and turned to meet Jenet with his handsome, emotionless face. Jenet's own face did the complete opposite; it lit up like the northern lights, complete with pink hearts radiating around her.

"GATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!"

Gato's face never lost a beat, even as the voluptuous blonde literally pounced on his torso and started attacking his face with kisses.

"MMPH! MMMPH MMPH MMPH! MWAH! MWAH! MWAH! OH GATO MY HERO! MY SWEET, HUNKY HERO~!"

"...You couldn't even handle this pack of louts?" Gato coldly responded.

Jenet gave a teasing pout. "Oh, quit with that attitude Gato. Sheesh, you're such a little downer. Me and Tizoc always had all the fun, and you could never even manage a smile~"

"You two were never fun. You're just annoying." Gato rolled his eyes.

Jenet giggled and buried her face in his collarbone. "Awww Gato... you're such an adorable little sourpuss. But I still love youuuuuuu~"

"Yeah yeah..."

"Take me out of here, will ya~?"

"...Let's go."

Jenet giggled as Gato dipped his hands under her to finally support her weight. She spread out in his arms, like a damsel being whisked away from the castle... and these two former teammates left the combat zone to get re-acquainted. Preferably with alcohol.

"So how's your sweet little Hotaru~?"

"Shut up."

* * *

"EARTH SLICER!"

Krauser was lucky to leap out of the way of a sword slash so grandiose, it commanded the very Earth to quake, the foundation of time and space to quiver. Surely that would have ended his life...!

King Leo didn't seem to care; every one of his sword attacks were with intent to kill. He came at Krauser with a continuous flurry of vertical swings, which the purple-haired man was thankfully able to anticipate and evade. But he knew... the only way of turning the tables was to lose that sword.

King Leo spun around with a strike to end all strikes... and Krauser seized the moment.

 **CLAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!**

Sparks flew as the blade struck against solid metal: the gold of Krauser's gauntlet. With a smirk, the purple-haired man redirected the blade aside, exposing King Leo's chest... for the disarming blow.

"BLITZ BALL!"

King Leo was blasted on his backside by a point-blank fireball, the sword flying from his grasp and landing at a distance that would make going for it a chore. Krauser had him right where he wanted him.

...If King Leo was supposed to be worried, there was a mistake. Despite being disarmed, the savage beast rose to his feet, clashed his fists together a few times... and got into boxing stance.

"Let's see how you fare without your toy." Krauser sneered.

"You'll find my fists can shatter the Earth just as my sword does!" King Leo responded to the banter.

When they closed distance, Krauser received a taste of that power firsthand: with two powerful hooks to his body. Had it not been for his impressive abs, he would surely be a broken man...

King Leo threw a hard left; Krauser dodged it, and King Leo pressed forward with a right. Krauser turned his body so his bicep would absorb the blow, and he pressed forward with a knee to Leo's midsection, stunning him, setting him up for an even grander blow...

Krauser displayed the epitome of his strength, as he scooped up King Leo, turned him upside down, leaped high into the air... and came raining down like an asteroid with a flying Tombstone Drop. The reverberation of the Earth was so severe... it actually caused some people around them to lose their balance and fall over.

As bad as it hurt, King Leo dusted it off and returned with a rising uppercut, his fist glowing blue with his powerful chi. Krauser's chin went upwards, complete with a shotgun blast of saliva from his lips.

At that moment... the mighty Wolfgang Krauser was brought down to one knee.

"Hahahahaha! Kneel before me, peasant!" King Leo boasted. "Your dominion here holds no meaning, Wolfgang Krauser. You're not the emperor of anything!"

Krauser eased back upwards... a slight blow to his pride. But the mission of preserving his honor was his purpose in life... and someone attempting to smear it only made him ANGRY.

Krauser rushed in and the combat commenced once again. King Leo ducked a left and countered with a nasty body punch to uppercut. Krauser's head snapped back, but he just as quickly shot back forward with a wide left that King Leo was forced to absorb with his shoulder. As Krauser's powerful blow backed Leo up, the purple-haired man spun into a MASSIVE sobat that sent the fear of God into King Leo's chest, sending him skidding along the ground until one couldn't tell whether it was dust or smoke rising from Leo's backside.

"Agh.. ahh... such... power...!" King Leo coughed, the man clutching his chest out of fear that his sternum was destroyed.

Krauser smirked. "Now you know the price of daring to belittle me, the Lord of Stronheim."

With a hiss, King Leo got back up, still holding the afflicted area. "A mistake I won't make again... Lord Krauser. Now... YOUR LIFE ENDS HERE!"

As Leo charged him, his fists blazed with a thunderous chi, showing just how serious this behemoth of a stranger was about flaunting his superiority.

Krauser glowed as well... purple radiating all around him as he prepared to thrust his hands and summon his greatest attack.

"THAT'S MY LINE, WORM! KAISEEEEEEEEER...!"

...An air horn sounded at that very moment, forcing them to stop their attacks moments before unleashing.

"ATTENTION ALL COMBATANTS! OPEN CALL IS NOW OVER! EVERYONE PLEASE EXIT THE COMBAT ZONE! WILL THE FOLLOWING FIGHTERS PLEASE REPORT TO GEESE TO COLLECT YOUR PRIZE MONEY..."

Krauser and King Leo would remain in front of each other for a few more seconds, to share one last clash... a mean-mugging contest.

"Hmph."

"Hmph."

The two collected their respective capes and walked away, both flicking the long cloth in annoyance.

At the end of the ass-kicking fiesta, a grand total of $160,000 was to be given out in cash prizes. The lucky winners to receive a cool 20 grand were Khushnood Butt, Gato, Sho Hayate, Gai Tendo, Jin Chonshu, Jhun Hoon, Kisarah Westfield, Haohmaru (although he never showed up afterwards to accept his), and, in a totally sad, utterly pathetic move... Heavy D had returned and actually WON a fight, but when he demanded his prize money, Geese declared that he was TECHNICALLY a competitor since he had held an entry card for that short little while. With a string of angry curses, Heavy D slinked away, continuing yet another chapter in the sad, sad history of the USA Team.

It was fair to say that all of the beloved fighters had officially gotten it out of their system. After that insane fiasco, there was nothing to follow but aches and pains, fatigue, hunger, thirst... and those seats never looked more inviting. This clever move by Chizuru and Geese led to a 30% increase in food and drink sales. The ratings were through the roof, and viewers were at an all time high. The Kumite competitors did a great job in ensuring only a handful of people won the prize money. This move was to be considered a complete financial and marketing success.

That being said, the people couldn't wait forever. It was time to end this.

 **...Still here? Well, congrats. I broke my record for highest word count in a single chapter, and you got to witness it firsthand. Now, take a breath... crack open a root beer... it's finally over. It's okay, you can cry. The big, bad chapter is over.**

 **(Note: some stuff did happen offscreen, so don't bother going back to look for it lol)**

 **Okay! I promised you a winner by CH41, and I meant it. Only two more chapters of the tournament remain!**


	40. Chapter 40: A Winner Determined, pt 1

There was a nice 30 minute intermission for people to calm down, get situated in the stands, get concessions, use the bathroom, get checked out by medical personnel, and all-around just get back to their cushy job of watching the fights, not participating in them. They all had their fun; now it was time to get back to the REAL reason everyone was here.

The peanut gallery of fighters had partially broken off into little separate cliques, in order to show support for the finalist of their preference. Team Kyo consisted of Benimaru, Goro, Shingo, Iori, Athena, Kensou, the Kyokugens, the Lone Wolves, the Women's Team, Mary, the USA Team, the Koreans.

Team K' consisted of Kula, Maxima, Ramon, Vanessa, Seth, Lin, the Ikari Warriors.

Team Ash consisted of Duo Lon, Shen Woo, Oswald, Elisabeth.

Team Dio consisted of nobody.

In the combat zone, the semifinalists were preparing for their final showdowns. This round would consist of two fights... and then a small break for the Final Two before the epic clash for all the marbles. Since Ash defeated Iori in the "Special Elimination Round", he earned the right to pick his opponent AND fight last. Therefore, his bout with the enigmatic Neo Dio would have to wait.

The killing machine wasn't happy about that. As he and Ash stood together on the sidelines, watching the other two prepare with their loved ones... his face twisted with a revulsion that could break a mirror.

"Well bro... here we are again." Benimaru gave a warm smile as he extended his arms to hug his longtime teammate, his brother-in-combat... his friend.

Kyo gave a respectful nod as he returned the favor, only to be scooped up in Goro Daimon's arms seconds later. "I wish you two could be here with me... just like old times."

"This is your solo flight." Goro nodded. "You earned the right to be here with your own hands. You didn't have our help this time."

"If anyone can do this, it's you Kyo!" Shingo boomed. The kid was literally shaking with excitement. "WOOO! I SWEAR YOU'RE GONNA WIN! I... I... I'll bet my soul on it! The devil can take me if you don't win this! GAAAAAH!"

Kyo chuckled and punched the kid's shoulder. "Your hype is gonna get me through this, Shingo. Keep it up."

Shingo gave a cheesy salute. "YES SIR!"

The grinning Kyo turned to walk away, towards the combat zone... but he would be stopped one more time by another familiar face: one that he knew wasn't gonna let him get away without some choice words.

Kyo literally had to retract his head a few inches, lest his eye be poked out by the red-haired man's thrusting finger.

"Let's make one thing clear, right here and now." Iori spoke in a low voice. "Just because I lost to that pompous prick doesn't make you better than me. You had an easy road to the seminfinals. You were CARRIED. So after you win this thing... hit me up. We'll settle once and for all who the REAL champion deserves to be."

Kyo's response to those stabbing insults: a good-natured eyeroll and a pat on Iori's shoulder.

"Iori... don't ever change, buddy. Please."

With that, Kyo walked away... leaving Iori completely unsatisfied. The red-haired man wanted SOMETHING: banter, an acceptance of his challenge, maybe swing on him? But no... Kyo succeeded as he always did in being completely and utterly INSUFFERABLE.

"...So was that a yes?!"

In the "blue corner", K' was also preparing for the battle: one that was probably far more personal to him than on the other end. Luckily, he wouldn't have to face it alone; even this lonely edgelord had the support of loved ones.

"Tch, oh look at you K'." Whip smiled. She had her hands all over him, adjusting this and that. "Hair all nappy, collar popped out... you're all wrinkled..."

"Seirah." K' grunted in annoyance. "Can you please..."

"Oh come here."

Against his wishes, K' was forced into a genuine moment of affection with his sister, as she pulled him into her chest and constricted him with her arms. K'... surprisingly didn't struggle. Maybe he realized it was futile with her; if Seirah wanted a hug, she was going to get one... even if she had to "whip" out her deadly weapon.

"I love you, you know." Whip whispered. "Even if I'm not your real-"

"Quiet." K' quickly shot down that sentence. "Seirah... you ARE real. Y-you ARE... my real... whatever. You know what I'm talking about."

Whip couldn't help but giggle at his struggle to get mushy words out. The two finally separated... but not before she planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Win for me then, little brother."

As Whip walked away, the next one to approach was K's longtime comrade: the man he trusted to have his back more than anyone on the planet.

"Win."

That one word, followed by a simultaneous handshake, said all that needed be said between these two. K' and Maxima always had that understanding... and that's what made them tighter than twine.

K's final obstacle before approaching the combat zone would come in the form of strawberry blonde... with bright red eyes full of a curious shyness... as reflected by the red also in her cheeks.

"U-um... KK?"

K' stood right in front of her, really emphasizing the difference in their heights. "What?"

Kula was reduced to a stammering mess, playing with her own fingers. "Ah, um, I uh... ah... wanted to tell you... I've had fun with you in Italy and... ah... ehhh... I hope you win!"

The ice girl looked both ways... then threw herself against K' with the most awkward, adorable hug people could witness. As quickly as her arms found him, she just as swiftly broke apart and ran away with a crimson face.

K' scratched his head awkwardly, shoved his hands into his pockets, and skulked away. One could swear his cheeks were a little red as well.

* * *

"Just look at them." Dio snarled, his arms folded with disgust. "Worms. Insignificant little specks. "

Out of boredom, Ash humored his opponent's bellyaching with a smirk. "Well geez. That's a little harsh."

Dio snorted. "This fight shouldn't even be happening. You and I should be the final battle. These two have no business being here... not with the likes of us."

Ash gathered a lock of hair in his finger and started twirling. "Sounds like you don't respect them at all. They actually ARE pretty good, ya know. Not as good as me, obviously~"

Ash's body tensed up when Dio actually turned to lock eyes with him. The gold humanoid started to inch closer to him... as if to emphasize the seriousness of his words. Ash was tempted to take a step back, but he shook it aside, lest he show weakness to his opponent.

"I look down on the humans of this world." Dio continued. "They are all inferior, inconsequential, pathetic sacks of meat who, somehow, were granted dominion over a world. They are all WORTHLESS... but not you."

Ash's eyebrows raised high as he put a finger to his chest. "Moi?"

Dio forcefully grabbed his shoulder. "I see greatness in you, Ash Crimson... something these other fleas don't have. You sought power. You sought out the means to stand above others, to crush lesser men under your heel. You have ACQUIRED those means. I saw with my own eyes, as you defeated the vessel of the one these people call "God." A mindless, almost PERFECT killing machine... and you made swift work of him as he were nothing."

Ash pretended to be shocked, clutching his heart melodramatically. "Well, Monsieur Dio! It warms my little ol' heart to see you hold me in such high regard. But I must ask... what is your endgame here? You obviously don't care about this tournament, so why do you stay? Why do you remain on a worthless planet, with the human beings you so despise?"

Dio turned his back to Ash, closed his eyes, folded his arms... it was monologue time.

"...I am an artificial creation, a byproduct of the mad scientist Daimundo. I was designed to replace my lesser model, Geegus, after he failed to perform adequately. I have no emotions. Sympathy, compassion... these things are words I cannot comprehend. They sound foreign on my tongue when I utter them. There is only ONE THING inside me... a lust to fight, to kill, to destroy everything I deem a threat to my greatness."

A pause, as Dio turned back around to face Ash. His face remained unchanging, despite him seemingly pouring his "heart" out.

"In a tournament far beyond the passage of time, I wrought a perfect destruction like nothing man could ever fare. Until ONE MAN did... a ninja, Hanzo Hattori. He defeated me... and I returned to Daimundo, who deemed me a failure and left me to rot."

"Oh?" Ash made a vocal response to indicate he was still listening.

Dio continued. "A new model was created in my stead: Neo Dio, only for HIM to be defeated by the ninja Hanzo as well. And then, somewhere in THIS time... a company called WAREZ re-created Neo Dio, making him bigger, faster, stronger than before. That clone is now dead too."

"So what does that make you? The original?" Ash inquired.

"It doesn't matter what version I'm called. Because I'M ALIVE." Dio declared, holding his own hand up as he gazed into it. "I'm alive, because I stand for something greater than my successors. I believe in my own skills and training to get stronger, not augmentations and replacements. As long as I live, I swear to use my own fists... and kill whoever I deem necessary to validate this principle."

"...So what does that make me?" Ash asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"...You're just my next prey."

A rather twisted grin spread across Ash's lips as he heard those words. "I'm WHAT now?"

"I have scoured this planet far and wide for worthy prey, but found nothing... until I found you. I have chosen you, Ash Crimson. You're the only one this world offers that can stand up to me. I need you strong. I need you ambitious. Our battle will be the final verdict to determine the worth of this planet. If you lose... maybe I'll just crush this stupid orb of dirt and mud and go somewhere else."

Ash snickered. "Ahahahaha. So I'm just a plaything to you? That's so ruthless of you, Monsieur Dio. Well... what a strange twist this has taken! I thought I was the asshole, but now it would appear I have to step up and save the world from an even BIGGER one~"

Dio scoffed. "Call it whatever you like. Call yourself the hero, and me the villain. All I am... is a being fulfilling my purpose in life. My existence coincides with death and destruction. Does that frighten you?"

Ash grinned maliciously. "Buddy, I'm the wrong person to ask such a question. And here's a little reality check: you look down on human beings, but you are MAN MADE. That means you'll never be as great as a man can be. That means I'M greater than you. That's why you're going to lose to me, Monsieur Dio. "

Dio turned back away from him, eyes re-focused on the combat zone, uttering only three more words:

"We shall see."

 **SEMIFINALS FIGHT #1: KYO KUSANAGI VS K' DASH**

The bodies of the audience tingled under the sheer power shared between these two standing in the combat zone. Regardless of their quirks and dispositions... they were NATURAL leaders, and had led their teams to a plethora of King of Fighters victories in the past. They were the foundation, the fueling flame, the source of life that made their teams strong. Without Kyo Kusanagi and K' Dash... would there even be a King of Fighters?

For Kyo, this was a major step-up from past competition. He had beaten practically everyone worth naming, from Tae Kwon Do masters, Karate masters, Psycho Soldiers, Ikari Warriors, Gods of Destruction... but K' was a different breed from these. This kid, repressed as he was, bore a prodigious talent for fighting. Was it the DNA injected in him by NESTS? That was a plausible theory... but Kyo knew deep down, K' was far more than just a guinea pig with bestowed strength.

...K' was fighting to affirm this belief. Everyone he had slogged through, they were all a means to an end: Kyo was the one he'd wanted from the beginning. He had something he needed to prove to the man, the template from which he was crafted. This was perhaps the most personal battle K' Dash could ever fight, besides his destruction of NESTS.

The two fire-boys stood before each other, looking as edgy and cool as they always did: hands in their pockets, wind blowing their hair, their faces bearing the epitome of tension-cutting expressions.

"Before we start, I have a question. And I expect an honest answer." K' initiated with that stern demand.

Kyo's curiosity was piqued. "Shoot."

K' remained calm, despite the seriousness of his next words. "What do you see when you look at me, Kusanagi? What am I to you? Just answer with your heart."

"Heh... really? We going here?" Kyo chuckled.

"Is this funny to you?" K' growled.

"Yeah... it is." Kyo honestly answered. "Kid, I know what you're thinking right now... and I honestly think you're blowing this out of proportion. I get it: you HAVE to beat me, to prove yourself a man or some dumb shit. Look, K'... you're a strong guy. And you're smart enough to know that you don't need to beat me just to validate your existence. I know you used to be something before you became this. And I know you were given everything you have now-"

"WRONG." K' jumped in. "That right there just told me all I needed to know. The fact that you just said those words means that you're overdue for this. What I have may have been based off of you... but it's not YOURS. I made it my own. All of this... what I am... is ME. Even this fire."

Kyo shook his head pitifully... then got into stance. Words were obviously failing.

"Kid, I really thought you were smarter than this. Christ, I thought you had enough sense in you not to get caught up in an irrational ideal."

"Heh heh... hahahaha. Well that's the beauty of it all." K' shocked the audience with a moment of laughter. "I know it's fucked up. I know it's madness. But I don't care. It's what drives me to fight. I'm never going to move on from this... until you're laying at my feet. I'm sorry, Kyo. It's the only way. You're about to get your ass beat."

 **FIGHT!**

The men's hands emerged from their pockets, raising upwards to get into their respective stances, and they slowly, steadily approached each other... until the two men stood dormant in the middle of the ring.

Their respective dominant hand extended outwards, meeting in the middle... until they crossed... and the opponents stood still, locking eyes before the commencement of this showdown.

The audience was on the edge of their butts, not even a swallow of saliva as they anticipated the first move... Kyo and K' just stood there, arm extended, hands crossing, neither one moving... almost like they were waiting for a tumbleweed to blow by. This duel would start off with one swift strike, a decisive blow to immediately earn the advantage. The only question was... which one would draw first?

Kyo's blazing eyes peered into irises of the coldest ice... and their hands broke apart with blurring speed.

 **POW!**

Kyo went down to one knee; K' had beaten him to the draw, popping him clean in the nose with a straight jab. The audience ROARED with reception, screams and whistles piercing the air as they commenced applause like pouring rain.

Kyo hissed as he rose upwards, gently massaging his nose. He bent it left and right one time, just to make sure it wasn't broken.

K' extended his hand outwards once again, beckoning Kyo back into this ritual for a second time... and Kyo obliged, crossing his hand over K's and standing before him in a deadlock once again.

All at once, the audience went silent, anticipating the second blow... they knew exactly when to be quiet and let the tension slice the air... and when to explode with a roaring fire when the action happened.

Their wrists crossed like rapiers, holding tight in place, awaiting the one who would be bold enough to make the first move...

...This time, Kyo led the dance. Their hands broke apart at blinding speed as Kyo fired straight down the middle, only for his fist to be parried. He continued to press forward with a left, which was easily swatted aside, and he turned and fired a series of whipping side kicks to back K' up. Although each one merely impacted on the cusp of K's wrist, this was still a victory for Kyo, as it affirmed that he was fast enough to strike first against K'.

This time, they didn't cross hands; they stood a couple yards apart, still in stance, still wary to make the first move. From their range, both were capable of piecing up the other with kicks... but it once again became a question of who was bold enough to strike first, and who was content to counter...

Kyo once again took the initiative; he fired a front kick towards K's stomach... only for K' to extend his lanky leg and smack Kyo's foot off-trajectory. Kyo's attack veered far to the right... leaving him wide open.

K' didn't even have to rest his foot on the ground; he used that same leg to go mid and drill into Kyo's stomach, jarring him visibly, enough to leave him wide open for a follow-up. The white-haired kid spun around, raising his other leg and bringing it down on his opponent with a heel strike. K' missed the head, however; he only succeeded in catching Kyo on the shoulder, but it was still enough to bring Kyo to one knee.

Kyo was down, but still crafty; he flopped to the ground and tripped K's stationary leg with an adequate sweep kick, his hip utilizing most of the power since he couldn't generate much from his grounded position. It was still enough to fell K', sending the white-haired man tumbling into the dirt.

Kyo scrambled on top of K', drew his arm back, and started slamming horizontal elbows into his bottom opponent's face. K' only managed to take two clean ones before he decided he'd had ENOUGH of that; he quickly tied Kyo up with arms around his neck, pulling his head against K's chest to prevent him from posturing up. He then pressed his knees into Kyo's stomach for leverage... and threw Kyo to the side.

They scrambled to their feet, and Kyo was on him first. He fired a quick jab high; parried. He followed up mid with a left: blocked, but it backed K' into kicking range, and he fired a swift foot towards his face. K's hand was there to parry it; the kid was so damn fast!

Before Kyo could reset, his lights flickered from a solid jab WHIZZING into his face like a bullet. He didn't even have time to blink before ANOTHER jab smashed into him and sent him backwards.

K' was fast, and he was long. Kyo had to stop his forward pressure...!

Acting fast, Kyo shut down his advancing opponent with a swift kick to the kneecap. He saw K's leg buckle; he had him on the run now!

Kyo followed up that successful strike with a higher kick, nailing him in the ribs. K' dropped down to one knee; Kyo closed distance and blasted him in the jaw with pure kneecap.

"OH SHIT! K'S DOWN!" Benimaru screeched.

The white-haired kid was on hands and knees, crawling for dear life. He managed to get upright, just in time for Kyo to come swarming in with a high combination. K' blocked the first two shots then attempted to counter, stepping in with a wide right hook; Kyo ducked it easily and seized him in a single-collar clinch.

"KYO'S POURING IT ON HIM!" Shingo roared.

Arms around K's head, Kyo drilled into him with knee after knee. He alternated left and right, stepping left and throwing right, stepping right and throwing left... the knees tenderized K's stomach like cubed steak.

The last blow brought K' down, as Kyo kicked his leg out from under him like a wooden stool. He kept the pressure on, keeping K' in a headlock under his armpit, and wailed on his stomach with punches.

K' was hurting, no doubt about it. He was in SERIOUS trouble, being pounded on at Kyo's mercy. He had to find a way to turn the tables on this...

The white-haired kid demonstrated just how technical he could be, as he reversed his fortune in the blink of an eye. As Kyo had gotten sloppy with his punching, he failed to mind his footwork; K' flopped to his back and clamped both legs around Kyo's ankle, giving one hearty tug and sending Kyo to the ground.

K' threw all of his body weight backwards, collapsing into Kyo's stomach with an elbow drop that sapped the wind out of the flame-wielder.

"Hunnnghhhhhhh...!"

Taking advantage of his top position, K' whipped his arm around and busted Kyo in the nose, opening him up and drawing the first blood of the contest. Before Kyo could find a way to take the advantage, K' had already rolled off of him and seized an arm.

Kyo was forcefully snatched upwards by his captive arm... and his face met an oncoming shinbone that knocked him back to square one.

"K'! KEEP GOING!" Kula cheered.

"THAT'S THE WAY! HE'S TASTING HIS BLOOD NOW!" Maxima urged.

"The kid might just pull this off..." Heidern grunted.

Kyo stood back up... and his face was wearing a symmetrical line of blood, trickling perfectly down the border between the two halves of his face. Right above the bridge between his eyes, where his forehead started, was where he was cut... and his nose continued to pour as well. It was a huge boost in morale for his white-haired opponent.

Kyo stormed forward, pumping two air jabs to back K' up before stepping in and swinging WIDE with a massive left hook. K' ducked, and Kyo was swinging at air.

K' found his nose once again with a right jab; as Kyo's head snapped back, blood particles flying, he mixed it up with a left hook to the body, then brought that same fist back upwards to open up his nose even FURTHER. He knew that was the place to hit...

Teary-eyed and desperate, Kyo rushed headlong... into K's foot, which slammed into his stomach at equal speed. As Kyo folded inwards, K' smoothly spun around and brought a vertical elbow crashing down on the back of Kyo's head, dropping him.

To anyone out there, it would seem Kyo was on his last legs... nobody told Kyo this. He was just getting fired up.

Now face level with K's long legs, Kyo drew his fist back and drove it into K's kneecap. The limb buckled, complete with an audible grunt from his opponent.

With a smirk, Kyo punched his other leg, further breaking his root. He went higher: a fist to the pelvis. Even higher: to the gut. He had worked his way up... until K' was subject to a fierce uppercut. Kyo watched with glee as K's head flew backwards.. and he could see the blood mist as it spurted through the air.

He didn't stop. A hooking elbow to the ribs buckled him. Another elbow sliced his temple open, starting a bloodstream down the side of his head.

As K' reeled downwards, Kyo lifted his leg high to bring his heel raining down on his opponent to finish the job... only to hit a black shadow.

Although K' phase-shifting to safety was an annoyance.. it gave Kyo a moment to revel in the makeup the kid was wearing now. Blood and blood, fists and fists... how further could this go? Would they unleash the flames of their fury?

This... this was fun. Kyo could barely contain the embers within him, as they nearly spilled from his very eyes and mouth...

The dance commenced once again. K' fired a leg kick: checked. Kyo returned with a high roundhouse: K's wrist batted it away. Kyo went up the middle with a high kick: two palms batted it downwards. K' shuffled forward with two right jabs that struck air, and launched a straight left behind it, crashing into Kyo's forearm and sending him backwards into kicking range. K' turned to his side and started putting that long leg to use, whipping out side kicks that flew high towards Kyo's head. Kyo managed to keep a steady pace of backpedaling just out of range, so that the tip of K's foot only managed to hit Kyo's palm.

They both reset, neither having landed a clean hit. K' threw a long 1-2, but Kyo's swift hands parried both hits. Upon parrying the second punch, Kyo redirected the fist downwards, causing K's weight to stumble forward... straight into a forearm.

K' went down for only a second, then sprang back up and swayed his head in time to avoid the kick Kyo had thrown downwards. K' extended his leg, not throwing a kick... he merely hooked his foot around the back of Kyo's ankle and tripped him, getting Kyo hopping on one foot... and K' spun around swiftly and drove the sole of his foot into Kyo's stationary knee.

"Agh!" Kyo's leg gave out, he went down... and K' met his descending face with the tip of his shoe.

Kyo rolled backwards, got back up... even further split above the brow line. The blood was seriously flowing now... and he could only smile.

Another exchange: K' slapped Kyo's jab away, Kyo feinted a left and went high with a left roundhouse instead, which only bounced off K's wrist. Kyo spun around like he was going to follow up with something big... but surprisingly he didn't attack. He must have sensed K' was far out of range.

K' barreled forward with a 1-2; when Kyo parried those, he followed up the combo with a low kick, only to whiz past Kyo's lifted leg. As K' spun around, he attempted a reverse backfist; Kyo caught his wrist and slammed a short punch into his side.

"Tsshhhh... damn...!" K' winced, obviously affected by that more than expected. It must have nailed him right in the ribs...

K' tried to make a clean escape, but Kyo could sense his composure was broken. He KNEW K' couldn't defend the next shots... and he let him have it.

Straight jab to the nose. A mean hook ripping the body. Kyo drew his arm back, cocked it, and let loose a BANGER of a left hook across K's jaw, sending the white-haired kid down... possibly for good.

"K'! NOOO K'! GET UP! GET UUUP!" Kula cried.

K's senses were almost kaput; he could only see the distorted brown of the ground... and his ears picked up the cracking of Kyo's knuckles as his opponent approached to finish the job.

K' had a fiery objection to that.

 **FWOOOSH!** Kyo saw the flames sprout from K's palm, and he had to leap back to avoid the explosion at his feet as the white-haired kid unleashed a close-range fireball. Once he got Kyo retreating, he spun around and launched another fireball at his feet... followed by a third one. By the time the flames stopped spewing, Kyo was several yards away.

Kyo growled as his hands sprouted their own aura. "GRRRAH! You wanna go flame for flame? BRING IT ON, KID!"

K's response was to slowly lift his gloved hand... and the pyre emerged once again.

Kyo charged; K' met him halfway. Their flaming fists drew back, flew forward at the same time...

 **BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!**

Embers scattered like fireflies as the two explosive attacks met in the middle, blasting the entire Coliseum with a heat wave that nearly produced sweat droplets on the exposed skin of the audience.

K' flicked his fingers, producing a wisp that lay dormant in the air. He spun around, gathering momentum... and let his foot fly through it, launching the flame like a kickball. It whistled like an incoming mortar as it exploded at Kyo's feet, the brown-haired fighter leaping back just in time to avoid the shockwave.

K' didn't stop there; he produced two more still orbs of flame in mid-air, then threw a double kick that sent those at Kyo at the same terrifying speed.

Kyo sidestepped the first one, and, just to show off... he extended his palm and caught the second fireball, crushing it in his grasp. When he opened his palm again... all that remained was puff of smoke.

Now it was KYO'S turn to play; his blazing aura roared all around him as he thrust his hand and sent a projectile sliding towards K's feet. If that hit its mark, the explosion could very well put K' in the hospital...

...Unfortunately for Kyo, K's powers were nothing to sneeze at. The white-haired kid aimed his finger like a cowboy six shooter...

"Pkewwww."

Before Kyo's fireball could seek out his feet, K' staunched it mid-voyage and the two opposing flames snuffed each other out.

"You're pretty good with the gift, kid." Kyo had a rare moment of humility towards his opponent, as he backed off to reset.

K' took advantage of the cease-fire to reset as well. "Did you expect any less?"

The two weren't even in fighting stance anymore; they were just standing across from each other, hands by their hips... as if this battle had now become a linguistic one.

"Well, if we're being honest here..." Kyo snarked. "I wasn't sure how far you could take it. I don't have much to go on... just mine and Yagami's. Ash's too, I guess. But yours is different. Yours is-"

"Artificial?" K' finished that thought. "THAT is exactly why this fight was necessary, Kusanagi. You got a big f***ing swelled head over your birthright. Beating you is going to show a lot of things... mainly that even a messed-up piece of work like me can rise above it all and take everything."

"I already told you, you don't have to-"

"I don't care what you say!" K' interrupted. "This is not YOUR fight, Kyo. It's MINE. Nobody else has the right to say what I'm fighting for, what my beliefs are, except ME. I don't care if you don't look down on me, or even if you like me. I CHOOSE to believe what I believe. And I believe... I need to beat you to prove something to myself. Call it what you want, call me an ideological idiot. But it's still my fight."

Kyo's serious expression returned, as he got back into fighting stance. "If you even think you have a chance against me... you better have those flames mastered."

"...I do have them mastered. I don't even need THIS anymore."

Kyo's heart skipped a beat when he saw those fingers slowly creep upwards, past the wrist... and those fingers tucked underneath the rim.

"...Oh my god." Maxima whispered.

"Is he about to...?" Kula whimpered.

"...Yes he is."

The collective hearts of the fighters stopped, moreso than the audience, who were perhaps ignorant to what was about to happen.

The fingers continued to dig underneath, loosening the glove, causing it to slip off further and further, revealing more of that mocha-brown hand which contained UNTAPPED power... Kyo drew a sharp intake of air when it slipped past the fingers.

When that red glove hit the ground... all at once did K's body begin to show the signs. His very hair was unable to stabilize, as the strands began to rise up one by one, until not a fiber was still at rest. It blew upwards, almost like a hurricane was forcing them upwards, fighting against the scalp to which they were bound.

K's eyes lost their misty pallor, instead being replaced by an amber so bright, one couldn't peer into them without shedding tears.

"Never undermine me, Kusanagi. NEVER!"

As that word was barked, so too did K's body EXPLODE all at once with a hellish tempest, blowing omnidirectional from it's lone source. No part of his body was exempt from this blazing exertion: the man was a living furnace, producing a fire too-long kept in check by his bounds.

"Agh! Damn!" Kyo had to literally shield his face from the heat waves. His body began to break out in sweat, every inch of exposed skin uncontrollable with condensation.

"K' you crazy asshole!' Benimaru screamed, his voice drowned out by the roar of the pyre.

In the face of this peerless fire, awakened after its long slumber, burning without restraint, without consequence... Kyo could only smile.

"So THIS is what you got, kid! Ha! I like it! Well if you're not gonna hold back... NEITHER AM I! GRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"Kyo ripped his gloves from his hands, and his body sparked with a combustion that shot into the very clouds, touching the heavens above like a skyscraper. A huge, towering, unparalleled pillar of flame... and within it, a lone silhouette: the man born to wield this might.

"YUKI! FORCEFIELDS! NOW!" Chizuru barked.

"You got it!" Yuki tossed Chizuru the remote, upon which the woman hastily activated the blue protective bubble to engulf the audience once again.

"Oh great. Not this shit again!" Benimaru grumbled.

"What's the problem, dude? You wanna get your face melted off? Chizuru's saving our lives here." Terry reminded.

"Yeah, but now everything's blue! It's annoying!"

"Would you rather see blue, or have your eyeballs turned to a bubbling white goo?" Joe snarked.

"God, it's hot!' B. Jenet whined. "Any hotter and I may have to take my clothes off!"

"...Oh no, please don't... that would be so horrible..." Joe couldn't help but grin wide as he spouted that sarcasm.

The battle between these supernova entities commenced. Kyo raised his hand high: in his palm gathered streams of fire from all directions, swirling around one focal point... until his palm contained a ball that's brightness, heat, radiance could only be compared to the sun itself.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kyo slammed his palm into the ground, sending a wave of fire crashing towards K', one that could easily swallow him up and reduce him to ash within its contents.

...K' seemed unworried in the face of impending incineration. As the pure wave of flame trailed closer, the kid merely threw out his foot and kicked the ground, almost like kicking up a dust cloud... but what emerged was a combustion similar in size and force of the one fast approaching.

The two walls of fire closed distance, colliding in the middle... and the explosion rocked everything bound within the blue energy the forcefields provided. Only the two men inside were forced to succumb to the heat of those flames... and to them, it was second nature.

Kyo wielded a fist of scarlet as he closed distance and took a huge swing; K' stepped into the pocket with his own blazing fists, and their punches collided... the embers spraying in all directions, stinging their faces before disappearing in little puffs.

Kyo threw a low kick; K' jumped backwards, and Kyo spun around, carrying with his foot a trail of his aura as it soared back towards his target in a beautiful blazing stream. The kick connected on K's shoulder, exploding with a hailstorm of sparks that impacted all around their feet, like searing hot rain making wisps of smoke as they landed.

K' stepped in, leg drawn back, preparing to swing... Kyo met him halfway, matching his output with equal force.

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

Their kicks collided, producing a literal mushroom cloud within the bright blue dome, filling everything with smoke, temporarily blinding the audience until it could clear up.

"Jesus, I'd hate to be in there." Kensou groaned.

"Well, look on the bright side buddy..." Kim reassured. "...You'd only feel it for a few seconds."

When the smoke cleared... Kyo and K' were on opposite ends of the combat zone. They had their dominant hands drawn back... and the audience screamed as they saw the concentration of fire building up in their palms.

This was no ordinary attack. Heaven itself was about to tremble when these two unleashed their desperation moves in a simultaneous burst, a final outcry of the passion their burning spirits contained, a rage that had to be suppressed in normal life, but allowed to roam freely on the battlefield only.

"OROCHINAGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

"Heat... DRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

...The virility of that attack could have very well ended life on Earth. When they collided, when the entirete of the blue confines was awash with a sea of searing heat... even the foundations of the forcefield struggled to hold up. The audience, the fighters, Chizuru... their faces grew with horror as the forcefield started to bubble like grease, pieces and isolated areas melting, oozing... but surprisingly managing to stay as one solid component. All they could do was mutter a simple prayer that the shockwaves would die down in time for the forcefield to remain alive.

...Thankfully they did. JUST IN TIME for the forcefield to finally give out.

If one had ever questioned whether their own fire power could make them lose their clothes... that question was finally answered. The two opponents lay nearly bare across from each other, only tattered pants remaining to preserve their modesty. This alone was almost as fascinating as the realization that they were BOTH down... and neither one seemed to be getting up anytime soon.

"...Oh my god. Get up, Kyo! GET UP!" Benimaru urged.

"K'! A-are you alright? Oh no, he's gonna lose!" Kula squealed.

"Th-they... they're both..." Goro gasped.

Chizuru tapped her foot anxiously, her lips silently producing a string of numbers descending... she tried to count slower, wishing to stall for every moment imaginable for the small window of recovery. But she knew she had to do her duty as a host... and the show had to go on.

"15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3...2...ONE... oh shit."

Chizuru hung her head, too distraught to even announce it. The officials in the control booth took care of that for her:

 **DRAW**

* * *

"...A draw? What does that mean? Wh-what does that mean, Robbie?!" Yuri relentlessly inquired.

"Haven't you ever heard of a draw before, Yuri?" Ryo joked. "It means they both won."

"No... they both LOST." Robert swiftly countered.

Ryo lifted an eyebrow. "Amigo, I'm gonna have to disagree on this one. They both beat each other, so both got a victory."

"The tournament can't continue if they both went down. They WERE DEFEATED!" Robert lashed out.

"Alright, alright, chill."

Benimaru was tapping his foot like a madman. "S-so what does this mean? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!"

"Hmmm... my intuition tells me these two should bugger off. They both bit the dust." Billy sneered.

"That's bullshit, Billy." Andy retorted. "They should get a rematch to determine the true winner."

"A rematch? Seriously? We ain't got all day. There needs to be a f***in' winner already!" Billy fired back.

"Ryo, you've been doing King of Fighters forever, yeah? What happens in the event of a draw?" Ramon asked the veteran.

Ryo got this utterly clueless face. "Uhhhhhh... I dunno. I've never tied before."

"DAMMIT! THIS IS DRIVING ME NUTS!" Iori roared. "WILL THESE TWO EITHER GET LOST OR GET BACK UP ALREADY!"

While the fiery debate was happening in the stands with the Less than 80 Angry Men... a similar deliberation had commenced between the two hosts. Just as aggressive... and just as opposite-minded.

"Geese, do you not understand the simple concept of a draw? They BOTH WON, so there should be a REMATCH to determine the one true winner!"

"And I'm telling you, they both got their asses kicked. Do you seriously think they're healthy enough for a rematch? And what if they draw AGAIN? And AGAIN, hmmm?"

"So what are you saying, that they don't get the fair chance to run it back?'

"They had their chance and they both FAILED, so they're out!"

"No!"

"YES!"

Chizuru was on her feet. "Dammit Geese, I have put up with so much bullshit from you this week, and I'm almost at my breaking point! We are about to throw down, and don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because you got sliced open!"

Geese rose upwards as well, looking quite ready to return the favor... but he could't even stand completely straight before the searing pain collapsed him back to his seat.

"Arrrghh...!"

Chizuru's aggressive facade was gone in seconds. "Geese! Oh Geese, are you alright? Do you want me to put some ice on it? I... I'm sorry..."

"It's FINE! It's... fine." Geese repeated that second one with a much softer voice. "Just... ahhh... announce a 20-minute intermission. We'll think this through, okay?"

Chizuru nodded with a soft smile. "Okay."

 **20 MINUTES LATER...**

Kyo and K' had retreated to the locker room, having received basic examination from the on-set medical personnel. They were both cleared for a rematch... but neither were sure if it was even going to happen.

All they knew was... they had both given everything. They fought their hearts out, with no regrets left behind. If that was to be their final battle... that would be a high note to end on.

"I don't know what else I can give you, K'."

K', wearing a heavy layer of Vaseline and bandages, looked up and noticed Kyo had addressed him. Kyo's face was pretty patched up too, and he had rolled-up tissue shoved up his nostrils, stained with red all the way through.

"What do you mean?"

Kyo extended his hand, gesticulating as he spoke. "I mean... I just fought my ass off out there. So did you. If that doesn't satisfy you, I don't know what the f*** does. I-I can't find any words to tell you, except that... I saw every bit of your determination in those flames. I saw the RAW extent of what you were capable of. And that... that wasn't fake. That was as real as anything I could do."

Amazingly, almost an anomaly of life on Earth... a smile formed on those perpetually drooping lips of K's.

"...Nothing else needs to be said, then. I made my point. Remember it."

Kyo responded with a solemn nod; just like that... maybe there was a greater understanding between these two.

"GUYS!"

Before this conversation could go anywhere else, Chizuru came storming in the locker room. She didn't even ask if they were decent; this must've been important.

"What's the matter, Chiz?"

"...We have a problem. That Dio freak is standing in the middle of the ring and won't move."

* * *

When Kyo and K' returned to the Coliseum, chaos was abound. Dio was indeed planted right smack-dab in the center, arms folded. The dozens of personnel leaning against him, attempting to forcefully move him from that spot, were an afterthought to the killing machine. He seemed much more focused on something else, as his head continuously darted left and right, seemingly searching for something... or someone.

"Look, you can't stay here!" Chizuru once again tried to drill this simple concept into the head of the humanoid. But those words went completely ignored, as Dio instead opened his own mouth to make a demand:

"Bring Ash Crimson to me."

"Look dude, you really have got to go! It's not time for you to fight yet!"

"Bring me Ash Crimson."

"AGH! WHY WON'T YOU FREAKING LISTEN TO-"

"I have no reason to obey the words of a pitiful stain of existence." Dio sharply cut into her. "I have waited long enough. I'm ready to commence battle against the most powerful fighter on this planet. Bring him to me!"

"It's not your turn yet! Kyo and K' still have to... ugh! GEESE, DO SOMETHING!"

"Don't look at me." Geese shrugged. "That guy already took my flesh."

"URRRGH!"

Kyo approached from the rear, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "This guy giving you problems, Chiz?"

"Yes, he is!" Chizuru grunted. "Please remove him!"

"...Remove me? Ha."

"Look, buddy." Kyo started, getting in Dio's face. "I know this is your first King of Fighters, but... ah... well actually, this is not a good example, since things tend to get f***ed up near the end anyway... but whatever! We TRY to stick to the rules here, and the rules say it's not your turn to fight yet! So why don't you beat it, before I get heated."

Dio kept his arms folded. "You two have already had your pathetic struggle. You both went down, like the feeble insects you are. You're not strong enough to call yourself "King of Fighters".

"You're starting to piss me off, man." K' chimed in. "Look, I'll keep this simple: if I don't get my rematch with this guy in the next 2.5 seconds... someone's about to get their ass hairs singed."

That threat wafted to Dio's ears... and a sickening grin spread.

"Tell you what... let's have a wager. You two can attempt to strike me down right now." Dio grinned. "If you land even a single blow...I'll leave this tournament for good. I'll even get on my knees and bow to you."

...Kyo actually had to hold back his laughter. "Heh... ehehe... I'm sorry, what? K', am I hearing this guy right?"

K' shrugged. "Sounds like he needs psychological help. I think he shouldn't be taking anymore shots to the head."

"Mock me at your own peril." Dio addressed. "But my offer remains. Come! Defend yourselves against an unstoppable force!"

Kyo chuckled a few more times before getting back into stance. "Well K' buddy, he wants us now. Let's give him a warm welcome."

K' stood right alongside his former opponent, also in stance. "Sounds good. This guy's annoying as hell anyway."

Far away from the action, a jovial Ash Crimson watched these events unfold with untold glee in his eyes. As his foes all prepared to spill each other's blood... he put his fresh-baked cannoli to his mouth and gently sucked out the cream filling within.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: Somebody's gonna win this thing, mark my words. At this point, it's anyone's game! Who among these four will emerge on top at the end of the chaos? Place your final votes on the winner of King of Fighters: Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite!**


	41. Chapter 41: AWD, pt 2 (FINAL BATTLE)

**Welp, here we are! Please try not to skip ahead and see the winner ; )**

 **It pleases me to announce this is the FINAL FIGHT OF THE STORY! Here's a bit of homework for you: go back through and count every single fight and tally up the final number xD (I'll start it for you. 40 plus 20 plus 10 plus 5... and you do the rest LOL)**

 **Without further ado, let's end this. No complaining about the winner! It was always going to be this way.**

How does one define a hero? Do they swear to protect the meek and innocent, without expectation of reward? Dedicate themselves to a selfless cause that betters humanity? Rise to a glorious occasion, do something spectacular, and be remembered in song and dance for history to come?

There are heroes in comic books, movies, manga, even real life. Kyo Kusanagi is a hero. Even K' Dash. Being defined as such can be simple as being there when the world needed them, regardless of the man they are or how they choose to carry themself. Because at the end of the day, a hero will only be remembered on a grandiose scale; when something truly spectacular is accomplished and they thank you for it... that tends to stick out the most in their minds down the road.

In short, being a hero really comes down to stepping up for one fortuitous moment and doing something so superb, it makes people forget everything else. Human beings are fickle, fickle creatures.

* * *

"URRGH!"

"NNGH!"

Those respective sounds were courtesy of Kyo and K' hitting the dirt, having just received a fresh coat of paint from Dio. They had come into this fight the same way they always did; exuding an air of confidence worthy of men of their status. But facts were facts... these two were weary and weathered. They possessed barely a fraction of their actual stamina, strength, physical and mental integrity at this moment... and Dio was the epitome of health.

"KYO! LET IT GO, MAN!" Benimaru cried out, begging for mercy to be granted to his friend.

"GET OUT OF THERE K'!" Maxima was singing a similar tune for his sworn partner.

...Obviously these pleas would fall on deaf ears to the two. This was a moment TOO BIG to simply throw in a white flag and walk away. There were but four people left in this Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite, and those positions were as rare as jeweled eggs. Fighting to maintain that position would the the highest priority, no matter how much blood stained the ground.

The arrogance of Dio caused him to wager his spot, to bring the competition down to a mere THREE. All K' and Kyo had to do was strike him...

He would not make the task easy.

"WRYYYYYY!" Dio's fist drove into Kyo's stomach; a follow-up immediately came, as he went airborne with his classic backflip kick that tore through his opponents like a spinning wheel of violence.

Kyo took another hard tumble, and K' came forward. The white-haired kid threw a low kick; Dio matched his kick with his own, and K' knew he lacked the power and torque necessary to win that showdown. As soon as he felt the effects of Dio's somewhat titanium components, his leg numbed and became useless to even stand on.

"Aghhhhh! God dammit to... f-"

K's face smooshed inwards from a solid fist, opening up any cuts he had previously sustained, leaving him laying on the ground with a mask of blood.

"Are we done here?" Dio coldly insulted his two downed victims. "Bring me my REAL opponent."

Kyo and K' were known to defy odds on a regular basis... but this one seemed just a little too big for them. Regardless, they DID will themselves backupwards. They approached Dio on shaky legs, their fists struggling to stay clenched, as the blood dripped from their chins and left a trail behind them.

"Huff... huff... huff... you gonna call it quits, kid?" Kyo addressed his equally-battered counterpart.

K' gave a snarky puff of air. "Hah. And let you three assholes advance without me? Hell no. The only one who's going down today is this nutjob... but I wouldn't mind you dropping dead with him. Heh."

Kyo shook his head with a sly grin. "You may be a fire dude, but you're colder than that ice girl."

Kyo rushed from the left; K' from the right. Dio put his arms up warily and anticipated their attacks.

"Come at me one or many! Meet a similar fate!"

Kyo threw a roundhouse towards what looked like a blind spot, but Dio turned and the kick bounced off his shoulder. It distracted him so little, he was still able to extend his leg and nail an advancing K' in the stomach, knocking the white-haired kid so far back he literally tumbled like a wooden barrel.

Still standing, Kyo stormed in with blazing fists, throwing a swift combination 1-2 before finishing with a spinning backfist. The flame-infused punches left pretty trails through the air... but failed to connect on their target.

"HYAAAAA-?!"

Kyo tried to follow up with a front kick down the middle... but Dio would give him the shock of his life: in the form of an icy claw that froze his leg solid as the fingers touched his skin.

"Agh, aghhhh...!" Kyo cursed as the weight of his now-solid leg dragged him down like an anchor, stopping his forward motion completely... and the next fist coursed with an electrical aura lit him up like a Christmas tree.

Dio spun around; K' was airborne, about to dive-bomb on him with a foot of blazing fury.

"Pointless."

Before K' could connect, Dio's hair fibers protruded outwards and gave him an electrical shock, shutting down his nervous system all at once, turning his muscles into useless jelly. He could only cry out in agony as he flopped to the ground, twitching uncontrollably.

Kyo roared as fire engulfed him all at once, easily melting the icy confines that bound his leg. With an enthusiastic spring-kick, he was back up... and he seemed to be the last stand against the might of Dio, as K' was definitely down for the count.

A spinning kick emblazoned with flames: Dio swayed his head back. A left high kick, followed by a right; Dio's forearms stopped them in succession. Kyo went low, attempting to stomp his shin; Dio smoothly shuffled backwards. Kyo spun around with his momentum, went airborne... and threw a tremendous flying kick with everything he had left in the reserves. Dio caught his ankle and flung him as easily as one would throw a trash bag in the dumpster.

Kyo cursed aloud as he skidded along the hot surface, landing right next to K' before going limp in frustration. He still had enough energy to angrily raise his fist and slam it on the ground beside him.

"DAMN IT!"

At this point, Chizuru was starting to fear for their safety. She ran over there to the downed fire-wielders, dropping to her knees at their side.

"Kyo, it's over! Throw in the damn towel!" she cried, her hands forcefully on his shoulders.

Upon hearing those words, Kyo was back up and pushing past her. "I'm not a f***ing quitter!"

Kyo almost collapsed on the body of K' as he threw himself against the white-haired kid and jerked backwards with all his strength, attempting to lift him by the rim of his tattered pants.

"Cmon kid! HNNNNGH! GET UP! WE CAN TAKE HIM!"

"Cough... cough... f*** that... m'done..." was the mumbled reply Kyo got in return.

"Don't give me that SHIT!" Kyo urged. "WE'RE TOO CLOSE! One of us can still put another trophy on our mantle!"

"Ngh... nggh... naah... got enough... already..."

"FUCK!"

Kyo fell to his knees, both from fatigue and from the weight of that demoralizing blow. It was just him now; so many times he had allies watching his back against the superpowered freaks... but now what did he have? Maybe this was a sign; maybe this wasn't meant to be his victory after all.

...But he still wouldn't quit before that theory was tested. There was only one way Kyo Kusanagi would turn his back on King of Fighters: getting carried out on a gurney.

He mustered it all; strength that he often had to summon back then, when the odds were crushing. His trembling legs struggled to withstand his weight, his arms hanging to his sides, nearly causing him to tip over one way or another. He had NOTHING left... just a tiny flicker in his heart that kept his senses alight. One little flame... that could only be snuffed when he was dead.

Kyo limped forward like a walking cadaver, unable to even lift his arms. But someway, somehow... he would deck this f***er in his arrogant face.

 **FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!**

The vision of the golden humanoid became a flash of green in his irises, followed by an intense backdraft that blew whatever foundation he had to pieces, reducing him to a flaccid lump of dead weight. This time Kyo REALLY couldn't get back up; whatever that spontaneous explosion was, it sapped whatever was left of him.

As Kyo grew hazier by the second, his senses fading... he could only make out a few muffled words from an outside source before going dark:

"BOYS, BOYS, BOYS!"

It took a second for Dio to get back up from that surprise attack as well; among the three of them, he looked to be the only one recovering. He turned his head sharply to capture the source... and his lips produced a malevolent smile.

"Now is this any way to act in a sophisticated fighting tournament? You're besmirching the good name of King of Fighters here~"

Chizuru knew well enough to get the hell out of here; she didn't want to be around these two for whatever comes next. She quickly, discreetly slipped away, managing to drag Kyo and K' on both her shoulders. Geese wisely followed behind her.

"Now then... I do believe I was summoned~?"

Ash Crimson was in the combat zone, staring Dio down with no fear. He had one hand on his hip... and the other hand doing a cutesy mid-air propping on his cheek. In the midst of overwhelming power in the golden killing machine... Ash carried himself with his infamous poise.

"Finally." Dio smiled. "We can begin."

"Now hold on just a second, Monsieur Dio." Ash smirked. "We must adhere to the wishes of the Mademoiselle here. This IS hers and Monsieur Geese's tournament after all. I DO HOPE YOU TWO ARE LISTENING!"

After having successfully gotten Kyo and K' on stretchers and into an ambulance, Chizuru and Geese turned back around to finally confront this situation head-on. They were less than amused, both about the situation and being talked to like that.

"All ears? Good." Ash grinned, his eyes gleefully closed as he spoke. "Now, this has taken quite an interesting turn, no? I thought my opponent to be one of the flame-wielders in the finale... but obviously that's out the window. So then... since the two of us here are clearly the best in the competition, and the flame-dudes are on ice... I believe that makes us official?"

"That damn brat..." Geese grumbled through anguished breaths, the intensity of the situation causing his wound to flare up prominently. Or maybe Dio just brought back those painful memories.

Ash kept that mischievous smirk as he cupped a hand on his ear. "Well? I'm waiting! I can't do anything about our annoying golden friend here unless you honor us as the final two. So... on with it, š'il vous plaît."

Chizuru shot him an angry little scowl... before she broke eye contact to resume focus on Geese. Right now, it was safe to say this had gotten a little out of hand near the end, just as it always did. Her only avenue of solace was that at least she didn't have to make this choice alone...

"Well Geese? What do we do? I... I hate to say it, but he's-"

"He IS right." Geese nodded. "It's just these two jerks now... but it feels right. They both tore through everyone to get here... and they may be assholes, but they're the best assholes in the competition."

Chizuru shook her head. "Still, it doesn't feel right to Kyo and..."

Geese put a hand on her shoulder. "Face it. They're DONE. The only way this tournament is gonna end... is with these two going at it with all they got."

One last sigh from Chizuru: an innocent, justified little sigh, just to acknowledge the sheer headache and confusion that seemed to always follow behind King of Fighters. Still, this must be what brought in the viewers. Surely they were hitting record numbers right now.

"Ladies and gentlemen..." Chizuru tried and failed to sound enthused in the microphone.

"Your final two... ASH CRIMSON VS DIO FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP!"

* * *

"This is messed up. How can two despicable people make it to the finals? Kyo and K' got screwed!" Shingo grumbled at the bleak reality in front of him.

"I agree, kid." Benimaru pitched in. "This is just wrong."

"Well, fuck em' for being too weak." Iori had no sympathy. "Ash was stronger. Period."

Benimaru rolled his eyes. "So who are you cheering for then?"

Iori swatted the air. "Neither. They can both die in a hole."

"I hate to say this... but Ash is our only hope for defeating that alien guy." Athena rationally stated. "He may be... ugh... ASH... but do you really want a psycho killing machine to win King of Fighters? That guy could've butchered Geese!"

"I wish he had." Joe laughed.

"Shut up, Joe." Mary rolled her eyes. "Just this once, I don't care. I can back a jerky kid if it means some alien weirdo who turns his nose up at us gets taken down a notch. I'm rooting for Ash."

"Well said, babe." Terry grinned, tightening his arm around her shoulder.

Iori scoffed. "Sheep."

* * *

In the combat zone, everyone was awaiting the first blow... but it looked more like they were about to exchange some banter. Dio was looking as big and intimidating as he always did, while wearing a scornful face that obviously bore an air above that of the people he was surrounded with.

As for Ash... even in the face of such a terrifying being, he still never lost his fascinating attitude. He was just smiling, one hand on his hip, one hand checking for grime under his fingernails. He wasn't the least bit worried about the potential of losing the ultimate stakes.

"Well, Monsieur Dio, you got your wish. Here I am, in all my glory." Ash addressed. "I do hope you know what you're in for~"

Dio scoffed. "I acknowledge your talent, Ash Crimson... but I'm still unafraid and unworried. As long as I've lived, very few have been able to be called my equal or better. But I always rose up, evolved... and now I stand above even them. Now, I'm confident that I have NO equal. I've transcended any flaw, any weakness I once contained."

"Everything has flaws, Monsieur Dio." Ash grinned. "A flawless being is impossible, not to mention BORING. Unless you're a god, I guess. Gods... heh. I bet they live such unfulfilling lives."

"If any organism on this wretched planet deserves to be addressed as 'god'... it's me." Dio boasted. "The power I possess is so far beyond human capabilities, to make a comparison would be lunacy. For example..."

Ash's stomach started to ominously sink when he saw a grin creep on Dio's lips. He was starting to fear the end of that sentence...

"...I can destroy this entire Coliseum with a flex of my finger. Shall I demonstrate?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Chizuru ran out there like a woman possessed, screaming that pleading word like it held the weight necessary to save these people. It was a hopless, naive effort; Dio was far beyond feeling sympathy for 'lesser beings'.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Ash growled. "STOP!"

It was too late; Dio was glowing with a nuclear miasma, terrible lightning crackling from every orifice. His hair floated upwards towards the heavens, as his body began glow brighter... BRIGHTER... the light became so potent it could burn the retinas.

"YOU CRAZY BASTARD! STOP!" Geese boomed.

"YUKI, AI, FORCEFIELDS NO-"

Everything went white, and Ash Crimson thought he was about to experience death for the second time.

* * *

All around him, white... a horrid ringing... his head spinning in place like a globe... Ash felt like he had taken a flashbang to the face. He was starting to wonder if he still possessed a physical self; every muscle he flexed, in an attempt to move his limbs... but he felt nothing.

A minute passed; the ringing started to slowly fade, transitioning into a different, muffled sound: screaming.

Another minute passed; he could feel his body attached to him, his arms and legs, though numb, still very much alive.

A third minute; the white started to dissipate, color returning all around him...

What lie before Ash was the remains of Grande Colloseo de Howard.

"Oh god! Oh my god...! Is.. IS EVERYONE OKAY! Oh my god..." Chizuru wailed.

"M-My... my Coliseum... my... Coliseum... my Coliseum... my... my..."

Reality was starting to kick in for Geese as well, as the man, on his knees, looked all around at the destruction Dio had wrought in so little time. Gone were the mighty walls that stood tall and proud, the floor of the combat zone which had held up from blood spatter, chi, flames, the most crushing attacks. Gone were the facilities, concession stands, bathrooms, Geese's little office where he liked to chill, even the vault room where the prize money and trophy were being safeguarded.

...The only thing remaining, a sheer miracle from above, were the stands themselves. A huge circular ring orbiting the rubble and debris... and all 80,000+ butts still packed in seats. Officials, security personnel, medical staff, were also still present. The fighters themselves were also safe. Somehow, the forcefield saved their lives... but it was gone now. For GOOD.

One final middle finger to hope and dreams: the giant tv monitor fell from the sky and impacted, complete with a broken, shattered screen that showed naught but darkness.

"Oh crud! Oh god! Oh man! W-weee j-just lost the... oh god!" Shingo panicked.

Some of the fighters were shitting a brick upon realizing the seat they sat upon was the only remaining piece of the Coliseum left. It was a shock... but most of them played it cool, like this was just another chapter in their wacky lives. The men still felt the need to step up with their macho-ness and protect the women, however.

"Yuri baby, are you alright?"

"Oh yes Robbie darling, thank you! Please hold me!"

"ANDY MY DARLING! HOLD MEEEE!"

"...Mai, you're fine."

"Uhhh... Mary? You uh...?"

"Dude, don't even."

"ATHENA! I'LL PROTECT Y-"

"Get off of me."

"Iori baby, speak to us!"

"DON'T LEAVE US IORI! COME BACK TO THE LIGHT!"

"Stop smothering me, you sperm hotels!"

"What have you done?" Ash asked that rhetorical question, naught but an echo of his immense shock and disbelief.

"...I showed you what real power looks like." Dio responded. "The strongest foundations of this world can't hold up to a god's might. Bring me your tallest, proudest structures... and they'll be a pile of dust before you can expel the fear from your frightened mouth."

Ash's heart pounded faster than machine gun fire, his legs barely containing their tremble... but his lips showed defiance as they curled upwards with a menacing grin.

"Monsieur Dio... you just messed up badly, my friend. You just made things personal."

Dio folded his arms. "Personal?"

Ash's grin grew wider. "Oh yes. You see, I may be a complicated fella... but I can also be simple in many ways. I love to have fun. I love having power in my hands. I love my possessions. And you, Monsieur Dio... you threatened these pleasures just now. Most importantly... you threatened my Betty."

Ash subtly cut his eyes upwards towards the stands... just to make sure Elisabeth was still keeping it together. Her eyes were still locked on his, Shen and Duo and Oswald flanking her with a similar gaze. Upon seeing them safe, his grin widened until he was flashing his teeth.

"I don't let people take what's mine, Monsieur Dio." Ash continued. "And this world is MINE. I willed myself back from the realm of nonexistence to be here. That's why you have to die now."

Dio actually laughed: a chilling, high-pitched cackle, as if those words were the peak of comedy. "Kill me? Ha. You may have put on an impressive performance through this contest, but you haven't faced anyone close to my level. This is where your life ends, Ash Crimson."

Ash put his hand to his chin and smiled wide. "Well then, if you're going to be an ass about it... I guess there's no need to hold back either."

Dio was immediately on guard when Ash slowly, sinisterly raised each hand... and they spawned: flames not of his natural emerald... but a devilish, unsettling pitch black.

Ash seemed almost pleasured by the power in his hands as he slid them down his torso, his legs, painting his entire canvas until the figure known as Ash Crimson was no longer of brightness, of vibrance: he was Darkness Incarnate.

Hair white as snow. Clothing of the blackest night. A macabre, inky fog emanating all around him. The transformation was complete.

"Yes... YES!" Dio urged. "Give it to me! ALL OF IT!"

"...You've got it." Ash smirked. "Lucky you."

 **FINAL BATTLE: DARK ASH VS NEO DIO**

Dio ran forward with no preservation, no strategy in mind. Why would he need one? He'd already proven human attacks couldn't harm him up to this point. Ash would be no different...

The blades on his forearms extended longer as he started unleashing vicious, maniacal slashes with the intent of ending Ash right there. His output was incredible, so far beyond the limits of what flesh and blood could do. The slashes pumped out at a constant interval, with no slowing down, no signs of fatigue... like a machine.

Ash had to move his head like he was dodging literal bullets. The blades crept closer and closer to cleaving everything from the neck up, and only his agility was saving his life. As he dodged, he focused his eyes, waiting for an opening... Dio may be extraordinary, but that doesn't make him perfect... THERE!

He saw it for a split second: the arm draw back, chest exposed... and Ash thrust his hand forward.

"Urrrgh... GUUUGHHAAAAAAAAH!" Dio howled as the fire began to build up in Ash's palm... before EXPLODING point-blank, knocking the gold humanoid off his pedestal and causing Dio to taste the ground for the first time. Just like that, his pride was struck, his god complex compromised... and Dio's confidence started to fade all at once.

The gold humanoid quickly got back up, but his spirit was still shaken... and that made him slow.

"Heh." Ash smirked as he flicked his left hand three times, sending a triple barrage of fireballs into Dio's stomach, the last of which blasted him right back down off his high horse.

"Your knees are a very appropriate place for you, Monsieur Dio. You have quite a talent for it~" Ash teased.

Dio snarled, a low, guttural growl growing deeper inside him, larger, picking up in volume with each second...

"Grrr... GRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Dio sprang back up: his legs fashioned into sickles. He charged forward and started launching a flurry of kicks, smoothly transitioning between legs with each one. His left leg swung wide and missed; he planted it and came around with the right. When that missed, he swung around and went mid with the left. Ash dodged it; he stepped and spun around high with the right. Ash was too elusive.

Dio started really showing off his inhuman capabilities; this time, he didn't bother switching legs. He swung wide with his left, missed, then planted the left foot back on the ground and came around with ANOTHER left, ANOTHER left, ANOTHER left. The time in which it took him to go through the motion of recovering his left foot, spinning around, and launching another left kick was impossible for a normal man to do. Dio made it look like the most basic physical feat.

Upon the fifth left kick in a row looping wide, Dio spun around... and unleashed a fiery fist straight into Ash's stomach. All at once he thought the battle was over... how wrong he was.

"What?!"

The last thing Ash's physical form revealed was a sassy little smile before his body faded to a black mass of distortion... and he phase-shifted right through Dio, emerging on the other side in his physical form once again, his hand extended in post attack.

 **BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!** Dio's body was wracked from the inside by a series of internal explosions, black flashes of flame bursting out of him as he wriggled, writhed, sent in every which way.

Ash reached that same hand up for only a second to move his hair out of his eyes... before swinging it downwards, a silent command for the final burst.

 **BWOOOOOOSH!**

Dio was sent screaming to the ground as a massive black explosion engulfed him entirely, leaving not one square inch of his solid gold sheen sparkling.

Dio rose upwards... no longer of normal color. His once proud, shimmering luster has been stained, corrupted by a pox of inky blotches, as if his very soul had been corrupted by Ash's power.

"Ash actually hurt that thing? Bullshit." Benimaru grumbled, a lousy attempt at hiding his envy towards the white-haired kid for accomplishing what he himself couldn't.

"WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Dio lunged with a low kick; Ash's feet were nowhere to be found, as Dio looped wide and went mid with a second kick; that one missed and Dio came high with a third kick. He felt his foot connect, sliding across the flesh of Ash's cheek, feeling the warm blood trickle immediately.

Ash felt it too; he was stunned as he stumbled backwards, throwing out sloppy fireballs on instinct to try and create distance. Dio's sturdy metal blades cleaved through each one as he closed in and extended his foot to Ash's head: the blade sharp enough to run through his eye and pierce his brain. Ash slipped to the side and the blade graced his shoulder instead, opening up a huge gash that immediately began spurting blood all over the Coliseum floor.

"Euughh... that's just wrong." Shen Woo winced.

"That's a lot of blood. Ash could pass out." Duo Lon fretted.

Elisabeth was beyond petty commentary; her eyes focused so intensely, it shut down any other coherent senses she may have possessed. All that mattered was him... her eyes wouldn't leave him for an instant. She didn't even realize she had bit down on her lip and opened up a cut...

As shocked as Ash was from the blood drizzling down his torso, brightening his colorless palate with bright red... he was surprisingly calm, if not annoyed. He raised his right hand and spawned a flame...then casually draped it over the afflicted area to seemingly sear the wound closed. In a instant, the bleeding had stopped: the only evidence of injury Ash's bloodstained clothes. He lifted a finger to his gushing cheek and gave it the same treatment, giving the audience a better view of the huge gash literally fading before their eyes, consumed with darkness before slowly shrinking... until his flesh was once again smooth and unmarred.

"You dare mark me...?" Ash spoke those words with an eerily calm, almost sadistic vengeance. "Monsieur Dio... your screams will serenade me."

Dio rushed forward, confidence restored. He knew he could end Ash now. They all bled the same; Ash was no different!

Dio lunged in with a huge slash: a puff of black and Ash was gone. The next thing Dio felt was a sharp elbow to the back of his skull.

"WRYY!" Dio spun around to backhand the rear attacker: another flash and Ash was to his side, burying a knee in his gut.

"GUGH?!" Dio tried again: another flash and Ash vanished, reappearing behind him and chopping him in the neck. Dio stumbled forward, directly into another puff of black flame and Ash extended his elbow to Dio's forehead. He reappeared behind Dio again and knocked him back forward. Dio was being ping-ponged in all directions, courtesy of a nasty combination of the Black Flame and the Yata Mirror.

"YOU... HUMA...GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Ash reappeared in front of Dio and forcefully squeezed his face, unleashing a particularly brutal attack. He allowed the entirety of his fire power to seep into Dio, slowly creeping from the feet to the ankles, to the knees, to the torso... painting Dio entirely, bathing him in a noir blaze until his skin was painted like crude oil. Dio felt the very real effects of this... the pain was tremendous.

"AGHHHH! AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ash's lips couldn't hide their glee, the music wafting in his ears, making his eyes grow wider and wider with a joyous expression of malice. Finally, Ash let go of his face... and Dio collapsed to the ground in a coughing mess, for part 2 of the humiliating performance, as he all but prostrated himself at Ash's feet, writhing in agony as the humanoid finally discovered a human who could make him hurt.

"Ash knows the way." Duo Lon analyzed. "See how he doesn't strike Dio with an open hand or closed fist? He knows that won't work. He's utilizing his powers to gain an advantage in the striking, knowing full well that simply clocking the guy will only hurt himself."

"Those black flames are bad ASS." Shen Woo grinned. "I'm sorry but... our little buddy is way more awesome than those other fire guys. I'm convinced; he could smoke them any day."

"Agh... ahgk... no... not... possible..." Dio coughed and sputtered, his hands frantically massaging his skin to try and release some semblance of endorphins to nullify the burning. "It hurts... gaag... I'm... hurting...!"

Pain was fear. Pain was confusion. Pain was ANGER. Dio hated what he couldn't comprehend; he hated Ash. As he leapt to his feet, limbs fashioned into blades, he all but spat the rhetorical question from his lips.

"HOW CAN A STUPID HUMAN MAKE ME FEEL PAIN! HOW! HOW?!"

"...Because I dress better than you~" Ash fired back with some classic sass.

Dio stepped deep and threw a wide kick, which could have easily chopped Ash off at the torso had it connected. The white-haired kid never missed a beat, backflipping with the assistance of his hand upon the ground for leverage. And when he pushed off with that hand to spring back upright... he smoothly brought it upwards and flung a fireball in Dio's face mid-flip.

"GAAAAAH! Accursed flames...!" Dio cursed at the power he had no solution for.

Dio stepped in with a huge low kick; upon missing, he spun around with his signature Icy Claw; he was going to quell those flames one way or another...!

...Unfortunately, Ash was always one step ahead. When the blizzard fist came towards his head, Ash ducked it and, in an incredibly bold move... actually seized Dio's wrist with his bare hand.

Dio was absolutely baffled; his raw ice power... nullified. Ash was holding his wrist as easily as one would a door handle. The ice failed to permeate the Black Flame; no... the opposite was occurring instead!

Dio acted fast; he could see it creeping up his arm, threatening to engulf him completely like a disgusting, evil parasite, tainting his flawless golden skin!

"GET BACK!" Dio went airborne and launched his signature backflip kick, catching Ash clean in the chin and breaking the deathgrip upon his arm. That little momentary distraction allowed Dio a chance to regroup... and he came back guns blazing. He was full-swing, desperate as hell; almost an air about him like this was his final stand.

Ash was back up... but wobbled a bit. His face lost its composure when Dio got back in it, throwing a wide left hook that coursed with electric might. Ash swayed it at just the last second, then had to quickly phase-shift backwards to avoid Dio's sharpened foot spilling his entrails. Ash extended his hand and started launching a flurry of fireballs... Dio cleaved through each one, not losing a bit of speed in his step as he came forward with murder in his soul.

His arm tore through each one, some Dio even spun around to vaporize with a swing of his foot. Ash's output was impressive, but none of these fireballs were powerful enough to stop him.

Finally, Dio got close... and he let Ash have it. He came forward with a Fiery Claw; Ash sidestepped it and Dio spun around with an Icy Claw. Ash had to backpedal, and he had to literally drop to his back to avoid Dio's hair fibers protruding outwards like a swarm of electric eels.

Less powerful on his back, Ash tried to kick Dio in the ankle; his foot bounced off like he was kicking a car.

Dio looked down at him, struggling to avoid a smirk as he raised his fist and came crashing down on the ground with his raw might; Ash rolled out of the way just in time, and he was scared to even look back as he heard a terrifying crackle of the solid Earth being smashed.

"You speedy little runt... hold still so I can swat you!" Dio taunted as he kept coming forward.

Ash ducked a huge swing, and, currently struggling to keep calm, actually made the mistake of trying to uppercut Dio. His fist found Dio's chin clean... and Dio's head didn't even budge. The pain started to flare up a second later, as Ash's knuckles screamed out at him, berating him for making such a stupid mistake.

Dio returned, and his hit hurt VERY much; a low kick, straight to Ash's knee, hyper-extending it with the force of a crowbar jamming into a crevasse and applying an absolute exertion of pressure. That's what it felt like; Ash wasn't sure his upper and lower leg was still attached all the way after that blow.

"Aghhh...!"

That leg couldn't support weight; Ash fell to a knee, and Dio hovered over him, blade drawn back... like a beheading about to commence.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Elisabeth squealed: perhaps the most compromised she had ever been in front of other people. If anyone had ever wanted to see the ice-cold woman show emotion... that was their chance.

Ash shot a quick glance to Elisabeth; no way. He was NOT dying here and breaking her heart. Ash had done far too much up to this point. Doing this to her again would haunt him even in the afterlife.

The Yata Mirror saved Ash's life once again; the blade of Dio's arm came soaring downwards, right through his torso... only for the body of Ash to dissolve into flames, and the real Ash reappear several yards backwards. He was still struggling to stand, as he collapsed upon materializing.

Dio sensed the end; he strutted forward without fear, raising two powerful fists: one coursing with fire, and the other encased with icy aura. Ash's clock was officially ticking.

"Ngh... gotta get up... damn, Betty's gonna skull fuck me if I die here." Ash mumbled to himself. He has to use his hands, pushing off the ground all at once... willing himself back up. The pain channeled directly in that one area, almost unbearable, inviting the sweet bliss of falling back down again... but Ash defied it. He stayed tall, stayed proud... and stayed cocky.

"You still stand before me?" Dio took full advantage of his advantage to pour on the ham. "You're stronger than most, Ash Crimson... but I've resolved myself to never lose again. I won't be thrown in a scrap pile like my weak successors. I AM DIO! I live to fight, to kill, to destroy, to crush the strong, to humble the proud, to lower the brash to my feet! I am the ultimate weapon! I'm not bound by emotions and weakness! DIE!"

Dio sprinted at Ash, ready to seal the deal and comdemn Earth to its fate once and for all. He had no reason to keep this place alive after this battle; nobody in this world stood a chance against him. There was no need to keep looking after Ash. He would just move on... just crush the humans and move on...

...And Ash was laughing.

"Hmhmhmhmhmhm...hahaha... hahahahahaha... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Bravo, bravissimo Monsieur Dio! I do love a good epic!" Ash applauded. "And I must thank you for putting so much effort into this for the good people. You've given them exactly what they want... entertainment."

That made Dio even angrier; the gall of this kid... TO CALL HIM "ENTERTAINMENT"?!

"There is nothing more poetic and beautiful than seeing unprecedented pride crashing down in despair." Ash grinned. "You've set the stage for a GLORIOUS humiliation, Monsieur Dio, and I intend to be the one to deliver the climax. You were wise to not underestimate me, Monsieur Dio. You're a smart cookie to recognize my power above others... because I can defeat you rather easily."

"STOP TALKING! DIE!"

Ash ducked a wide swing; before retreating he casually flicked his fingers and produced a black wil o' wisp. It stayed dormant, suspended in mid-air.

"I was just an innocent little boy with a nasty greed, Monsieur Dio." Ash sneered, ducking a sweep kick and producing two more wisps. "I had all of Eden before me, but I sought the Forbidden Fruit. That's why I left it all behind: to acquire power."

Dio spun around 180 and tried to take Ash out with a kick; the kid phase-shifted backwards and left two more wil o' wisps in mid-air.

"I hurt people. I broke the heart of my dearest companion. I lost myself. I realize all this now." Ash smiled as he dodged another lethal blow. "But the end result stays the same... this power is mine now. Better or worse, it's MINE. I can choose what I want to do with it, at the very least. At least now I'm a little less fucked up; I have a woman to thank for that. She's tall, shrewd, blue hair... very lovely breasts. If I need a reason to fight... I guess it can be her."

Ash phase-shifted through dual blades; he produced two more wisps.

"...But I won't lie, I don't have to be an angel. I don't have to feel good about this power I've stolen... but I can still take pleasure in throwing it around. And it DOES feel good, Monsieur Dio. What I'm doing to you right now... heh... it's just what I need to stay healthy. So thanks. I hope more assholes like you come around to keep me fresh~"

"I SAID... STOP... TALKING!"

Ash dodged one more claw... and Dio at last stopped, realizing something was amiss. The gold humanoid looked all around him...

...He was surrounded. They floated all around him, like scarabs awaiting a body to devour. They spanned the length of the entire field, dozens, dozens of them, floating ominously... waiting... for what?

It wasn't until Dio saw Ash bring his finger upwards... and point forward... that he knew what would happen.

"Seek him."

...They all struck at once. Every last wisp, as if awakened by that simple command, swarmed like a pack of hungry dogs, pounding Dio left, right, up, down, consuming every square inch of his being, painting him black as the flames swallowed him whole, reaching to the sky in their dark radiance.

"URRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Dio's howl was drowned out by the crackling... until a final explosion rocked the ground beneath him, snuffing out all the oxygen at once, leaving naught but a smoldering crater... with Dio in the middle of it.

"Agh...auughh... ahhhkk..."

"HE'S DONE IT! GO ASH!" Shen Woo cheered.

"HE'S ACTUALLY... OH MY GOD!" Benimaru gasped.

"DO IT ASH! YOU GOT THIS!" Andy urged.

"Uhhh... WHAT HE SAID!" Mai mindlessly followed her lover.

"YOU GOT THIS IN THE BAG!" Shingo boomed.

"GO IN ON HIM! HOLD NOTHING BACK!" Ralf hyped.

"Win swiftly, Ash..." Duo Lon softly encouraged.

Elisabeth was on her feet, leaning over so far she was about to stumble from the stands. Oswald actually had to catch her.

"That freaking kid's actually gonna do it..." Geese grumbled.

"...I don't even care at this point." Chizuru sighed. "I just want this over... END IT ALREADY ASH!"

Ash closed his eyes took a deep whiff... he brought his hands up to his ears in a wafting motion as if to absorb the cheers into his canals. And then, those eyes opened... and a violent smile produced itself.

"Well Monsieur Dio, the people have spoken." Ash grinned. "Any last words?"

Dio was still trying to crawl upwards; he was shaking pretty badly, stumbling over every few attempts or so. But his eyes never lost their aggressive gleam; perhaps even now, he still believed he was capable?

Needless to say, his last word solved that theory:

"...Die."

Dio charged at Ash on shaky legs; Ash gave an annoyed sigh, extended his palm, gathered an excessive buildup of fire in his grasp until it was a bright, black ball of destruction... and let it loose into Dio's stomach.

 **BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!**

The explosion overtook him, burying his body within the pitch-black inferno, sapping the remains of his strength, until they died down and revealed Dio once again: on his knees, broken.

"HE DID IT! HE FREAKING DID IT! HE WASTED THAT PSYCHO!" Shen Woo fist pumped upon realizing Ash's imminent victory.

"That kid amazes me..." Duo Lon shook his head with a smile.

"HE DID IT, ELISABETH! WHY AREN'T YOU SAYING ANYTHING?!" Shen urged.

Elisabeth looked a little lost right now; it was hard for her to express joy after being hardened over the years. Her face looked incredibly twisted, as if the corners of her mouth were locked in some kind of mortal struggle, fighting for the simple act of positive expression.

...That battle was finally won, when those corners rose upwards... and Elisabeth Blanctorche smiled for the first time in a span long forgotten.

In the combat zone, Ash slowly approached the downed Dio. The kid's face had yet to show signs of reveling in victory; he seemed to still have some business to take care of, and Dio knew it.

Unsurprisingly, the golden humanoid didn't back down from his fate.

"Cough cough cough... I'm ready. Do it." Dio said with a lowering of his head.

Ash's face lost all expression. He lifted his hand to the sky, slowly inched it forward... and closed in.

"BOOP~"

...For the first time in his existence, Dio looked like a total idiot. His azure eyes opened wide, his mouth dropping as Ash backed up and started giggling wildly.

"What?!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ash held nothing back. "I'm not going to kill you, Monsieur Dio! I've killed one single person too many already, thank you. No, there's really no reason to bother with you, since I know you'll be leaving now. You're not going to come back. You're going to wander the cosmos, endlessly seeking out new battles, to fill that void inside you, yes?"

Dio was silent... but his lack of retorts indicated that Ash was probably hitting the mark perfectly.

Ash spun around, hand on his chest. "Well Monsieur Dio, I won't judge, mock, berate you. I know as well about filling voids... I know how feeling incomplete can drive a man to seek death as solace. So if that's what you need to do in order to feel alive... then I won't stop you. It's none of my business. Just don't come back, hear~?"

Ash even took it a step further; he actually extended his hand to help the killing machine up. Dio was reluctant for a second... but he actually took it. There was no need not to; he was no longer above Ash Crimson. He was lower than him. To receive a gesture... and MERCY... from the kid who just defeated him, was to be considered an honor.

Back on his feet, Dio immediately turned his back to everything: the people, the Coliseum, the planet Earth itself... and he walked away.

"You won't see me again, Ash Crimson. At least not for a very long time. There are still other worlds out there, other time periods, where warriors reside. I must seek out the strongest, defeat them.. then I will return and rematch you. Be wary of showing me mercy in the future... because I promise you I won't return such a favor. Goodbye."

 **WINNER OF KING OF FIGHTERS: ULTIMATE DREAM KUMITE... ASH CRIMSON!**

How does one define a hero? They are usually measured by the virtue in their heart. They are recognized in their willingness to protect the meek and innocent, to show compassion to the weak and less fortunate, to give selflessly without seeking payment. They are heralded for doing extraordinary things in benefit of the world: usually once-in-a-lifetime, that are forever spoken of. They are usually the model of chivalry, courage, morality, righteousness, propriety and honor.

Ash Crimson was not kind. He was not virtuous, selfless, righteous, compassionate, or wealthy in morality. But he WAS a hero... because he defeated the asshole who blew up the Coliseum. People would remember him for this.

Human beings are fickle, fickle creatures.

 **I take a bow. And then... I salute you all, my beloved readers, for sitting through more fight scenes than I'm sure you've read in your entire fanfic careers. And now, it pleases me to say that the war is over. It's time to extend the olive branch, and return to peacetime. Now if you'll excuse me... I'm going to help myself to an ice cold...you know. It's my profile picture lol.**

 **Only two chapters left! Stay tuned for the after-party and the SPECIAL finale!**


	42. Chapter 42: Post-fight Party

**Whew... what a journey it's been. At last the fighting is over; now it's time to PARTAY! Before we get on with the penultimate chapter of this fic, I'd like to congratulate LordryuTJ and heii. You are the true winners of this story. Kudos for sticking with your man!**

 **This chapter really isn't the CLOSURE chapter... it's mainly just mindless goofing off. If you're looking for closure, you could just skip this one and wait for the last chapter to go up. Of course, I hope you don't do that lol. There's at least one** **important scene in this chap.**

 **Enjoy, and be wary of reading this in public. Lots of bikinis and perfect bods lol.**

80 fighters entered. Only 1 fighter left with all the wealth, notoriety, fame... and controversy.

People were struggling to digest the fact Ash Crimson of all people had risen above everyone to claim his first King of Fighters gold... but nobody would straight up deny that he deserved it. As questionable a life as the kid lived, he did manage to do what nobody else could: take down a rampaging Iori, then turn right around and defeat the godlike killing machine Neo Dio. His journey to the top wasn't easy, and it wasn't with many supporters; he had plenty of haters on his side after toasting Ai in mid-air and then snuffing out Athena. But in the end, he did manage to step up and accomplish one heroic feat... he saved the Earth that he once nearly invited to oblivion.

They probably wouldn't sing songs about it 1000 years from now... but at least now, Ash became a little more bearable for everyone. It would seem defeating an alien hell-bent on destruction who had as much regard for human life as one would an ant got on people's good side. Obliterating the Coliseum earned Ash quite a bevy of sympathizers, and it became far too easy to deduce that he was the lesser of two evils. In the end, Ash probably had a LOT to thank Dio for.

...Not that he cared what others think, obviously. He would still troll the human population with a wiggle of his hips at any given moment. Regardless, the fact is and will FOREVER remain... Ash was the champion of the Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite. People would hate him for it. Envy him for it. Maybe even praise him for it. But nobody would remove him from this pedestal.

* * *

"Heeheehee... hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAAAAAA! YES! WOOOHOO! THE 2 MILLION DOLLARS IS ALL MIIIIIINE! YEEEEEEEEEEEAH! EAT YOUR HEART OUT, BITCHES!"

Amidst the hours-long chaos and procedures: evacuating citizens, dealing with tv execs, yadda yadda yadda... a sleuthy girl had slipped through the rubble and managed to find the safe containing the coveted prize money and trophy itself.

"Cmon... gah... get... the f***ing... thing... OFF! DAMN! I can't believe this thing survived the explosion!"

After attempting to jam her dagger into the dial and failing, Malin kicked the ground in annoyance. She was at a standstill... and losing time.

"Okay think Malin think... I'll have to get someone with muscle. Someone who can trash this thing. Grrr, I'll have to give them a cut of the dough, but it's better than never getting it-"

"Malin."

"EEP!"

The thief was snapped out of her strategizing, spinning around to meet the unfortunate combination of dark hair and ruby lips... curled downwards.

"Oh... shit."

Chizuru's demeanor didn't scream "murder"... it was more like a mom who caught her kid in the cookie jar. She had her arms folded, one eyebrow raised... her foot tapping rhythmically on the solid ground.

Malin gave a sheepish grin, casually twirling her knife. "Uhhh ehehehehe... h-hey Chiz. I, uhhh... I found the safe for you!"

A few more seconds of that uncomfortable, scolding stare... before Chizuru's lips lifted upwards.

"Thank you, Malin. I appreciate your help."

Much to Malin's bewilderment, Chizuru gave a polite bow and walked away, perhaps to find Maxima so he could lift the blasted thing and carry it away from potential looters.

"Hmph. Glad I could help." Malin snorted, kicking a piece of rock in aggravation. She walked away, swinging her knife through the air in anger, having officially been foiled for the THIRD time.

 **THE AFTER-PARTY**

 **ROBERT GARCIA'S MANSION: AFTERNOON**

That afternoon, a collective sigh of relief was finally allowed to air out. The audience went back home, having gotten their weeks' worth of combat and probably thankful for their LIVES. The native Italians went back home to prepare to get back to normalcy, probably forced to re-adjust to their jobs since taking their vacation.

Many of the contestants didn't stick around. A lot of them had already left prior to the semifinals, but now the roster was visibly more whittled down, until there were really only the usual faces remaining. Which was still a lot, mind you.

And so, with the sun shining, the bloodshed halted, the wounds healing, the crowds, officials, procedures, the Coliseum itself gone... the remaining King of Fighters contestants decided to get together at Robert's mansion and tear the place up.

"EVERYBODY GATHER 'ROUND PLEASE!" Chizuru still knew how to rock a microphone, even though the tournament was over. She was in the process of rounding everyone up in Robert's backyard, where the party would be centered around his swimming pool. It was tempting for many to lose their clothes right there and then and jump in... so the urgency to hear what Chizuru had to say and be done with it was REAL.

Finally, the fighters had congregated: Chizuru stood before them all, one hand extended... around the shoulder of the kid standing next to her. On her left was Maxima, lugging the hefty safe on his shoulder with the ease of a bag of apples.

And to her right... the smiling face of Ash. One hand on his hip... thumb and forefinger twiddling a couple loose strands of hair.

"Now. I'm sure you're all ready to be done with this. I know I sure as heck am. So, without further ado... let's have a round of applause for our CHAMPION!"

...Needless to say, not many were eager to jump in.

"WOOOOOO LITTLE BUDDY! THAT'S MY BOI UP THERE!" Shen Woo had no qualms about standing out, as he commanded the brunt of the applause with his booming claps. The only other ones clapping were Duo Lon and Oswald: it would seem applauding wasn't really Elisabeth's thing, as the blue-haired Frenchwoman stood still, albeit with a rather solemn smile on her face.

"Right... okay then." Chizuru awkwardly chuckled. "Well Ash, does the champion have any words for us? What are you doing with the money?"

With a grin, Ash seized the microphone. "Sorry, Mademoiselle Kagura... but what happens to the money is between moi and one other person. Let's leave it at that."

"...How boring." Chizuru frowned.

Ash snickered. "Don't worry your pretty head about it, mademoiselle. Now, as for my last words? Well... DIDN'T I LOOK SO CUTE OUT THERE, STOMPING YOU ALL? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!"

"Oh, go f*** yourself." Benimaru rolled his eyes and walked away. "I'm getting in the pool already."

"Yeah, I'm done with this. We got any beer around here?" Mary called out.

"Cmon Yuri. I still have your swimsuit from your last stay." Robert grinned.

"Yay~!" Yuri cheered.

And so, everyone walked away en masse... leaving the boasting Ash to laugh in solitude. Chizuru awkwardly tried to salvage the situation:

"Uhh g-guys? GUYS! WE HAVEN'T PRESENTED THE PRIZES Y- oh, screw this. Maxima, smash it."

Maxima nodded. "With pleasure. RRRRRRRRRAGH!"

The behemoth lifted the safe and brought it crashing down upon Robert's concrete surface. With one blow, the seemingly-indestructible container popped open, revealing the goodies inside: 2 million dollars in cash, and the coveted King of Fighters trophy, glistening with a golden sheen more bright and magnificent than even Neo Dio's body.

"It's all yours, Ash. Congratulations." Chizuru bowed with a smile. "ALRIGHT PEOPLE! CLOTHES OFF, SWIMSUITS ON! BREAK OUT THE DRINKS! GET SOME MEAT ON THE GRILL! LET'S PARTY AND SAY 'SCREW YOU' TO THIS WEEK OF MADNESS!"

"Now we're talking." Terry smiled, shedding his shirt. "DUCK! HIT THE MUSIC!"

Flashing a thumbs up, Duck King fired up his equipment that Robert generously let him set up in the backyard. Within moments, the rafters of Robert's mansion were shaking, the insides thudding from the powerful pound of Duck King's sound waves.

Clothes were dropping like rain, swimsuits donning left and right, until the entire cast was summer-ready, trunks and bikinis proudly on display, as women envied women, men ogled women, women ogled men... and the splashes started spraying liquid mist in all directions.

"Ahhhhh... now this is better." Terry sighed, relaxing his godly physique inside the pool. He swung for a humble pair of red and white trunks, while Andy's were white, with red flames on one side and black flames on the other.

"Make some room, bro. Ahhh... nice. Robert lives like a king, hehe."

"Got room for one more?"

Terry and Andy turned: Joe Higashi had his headband off, yet his spiky hairdo stayed tall and luxurious. But the REAL story... was that disgusting red speedo he was rocking.

"Euuuugh, Joe man! Damn!" Terry cringed.

"What? I'm sexy and I know it." Joe boasted. To their displeasure, he extended his pelvis and even further emphasized something the Bogards were NOT interested in.

"As if Benimaru's leopard-print nightmare wasn't bad enough..." Andy groaned.

"Dude, just get in the pool and get waist-deep already. PLEASE." Terry begged his friend.

"Alright, alright."

Joe finally granted his Wolf friends mercy by submerging himself, of course not deep enough to get his beloved spiky hair wet. "Where's the gals?"

"In that speedo?" Andy laughed. "The last thing we need is girls in bikinis walking around, making that thing any tighter."

"You just wish you could rock one." Joe winked. "In any case, I'm excited to see what Mai is wearing..."

"OH YOU AND ME BOTH BROTHA!"

Andy knew that voice. He looked over; Master Jubei wasn't hiding his perviness at all. The old man literally had a CAMERA, and was taking shots of every ass that walked by, every bosom-y motion. The others only allowed it because he was an old man and thus automatically gained sympathy points.

"...Just let him have his fun, bro." Terry consoled Andy with a pat on his shoulder.

"Hey. Think fast."

Terry snapped his eyes back forward, just in time to catch an ice-cold beer soaring straight for his face. His arm emerged from the water, sending a burst of droplets in all directions as his fingers stretched and managed to secure the bottle in his slippery grip.

"Nice catch."

Terry located the source of the deliverer: strutting towards the pool, rocking her awesome bikini bod with a beer in one hand and other fingers tilting the sunglasses downward to flash her pretty blues. Blue Mary's two-piece was appropriately just what people thought it would be, and she looked too perfect in it with those sculpted abs on full display. The bottoms were rather simple, practical briefs that slipped on easy and showed neither modesty or a lack thereof. No, her top was the talk of the town: The triangles were on the smaller side, to the extent that most of her cleavage spilled out towards the center of her chest, curving inwards with a perfect symmetry, just free enough in the top that they had room to jiggle with every step she took. Each step, those mounds pushed together with a perfect dark crevasse before spreading back apart upon the next step, to repeat the motion all over again.

"Hey, where's MY beer?" Joe pouted.

Mary shot him a glare. "You could've asked me before I walked all that way."

"Heh... but then I wouldn't get to see you walk over here again." a cheeky grin upon uttering that response.

Mary rolled her eyes with a smile. "Just move over, Higashi. And keep that package pointing away from me."

Joe smiled as he scooted a few to the left, allowing Mary to crawl into the pool and nestle the back of her head right against Terry's bicep, which was draped across the edge. With a simultaneous clink of their bottles, the two enjoyed a solemn peace as they downed their alcoholic beverages in sync. To the side, Joe was shamelessly cutting peeks down her bikini top.

"Hey Mary. Lookin' hot." Vanessa casually floated by on her back, flashing a wink. She was wearing a rather conservative white two-piece, nothing special to brag about. Her long, slender body did look nice and lean in it though, and her decent bosom attracted at least one male gaze (with an eyepatch).

"Miss Vanessa, look out! I'm about to jump there!"

Kula Diamond was in diving stance, her cute little posterior extended behind her. She was rocking a rather adorable icy blue two-piece with a skirted bottom and a tube top, which succeeded in managing to conceal her rather minuscule features, while also making her look cute enough to hug and squeeze like a stuffed animal.

"Uhh... you're not gonna freeze the pool, right?" Vanessa responded with an innocent inquiry.

Kula showed just what an angry expression the ice girl could have, as she furiously stomped. "That's not nice! K', did you hear what she said to me?"

"What? I was thinking the same thing." K' casually shrugged in his black trunks, his sunglasses hiding his expressions as usual.

"Grrrr! I'm gonna tell Diana you're being mean to me!"

"H-hey wait! WAIT!"

* * *

"Oi, you're killin' the meat."

"Shut up."

"Stop pressin' on it so much! The lifeblood's leakin' out!"

"Lifeblood? The f*** you talking about?"

Yamazaki was kind enough to be the resident chef, setting up the propane grill in the backyard so he too could enjoy the sunshine and warm company. He didn't mind not getting to swim; in fact, he was one of few who kept his clothes on, on account of the fact he was still healing from those gnarly burns Iori gave him. He did finally remove the bandages from his face, however.

"You need to flip em!" his love-to-hate rival in Union Jack trunks continued to nag.

"Who's manning the grill here?"

"I have a right mind to take it from ya!" Billy kept egging him on.

"Oh I'd like to see you try." Yamazaki grinned. "You think I'm bad with a knife, just wait and see what I can do with a spatula."

"Yer askin' for a-"

"Shut up, ya goofs. I'm trying to enjoy my cigar."

Mr. Big walked by in his purple trunks, sunglasses donned, as he removed his Cuban import from his lips and dragged it across his nostrils, basking in the delectable aroma of the fine tobacco. At that moment, the sun shifted just right in the sky... and shone right on top of his chrome dome, blasting everyone around him with a blinding flash.

"OI!" Billy groaned as he shielded his eyes. "Put a cap on that! You tryna put our eyes out?!"

Billy's complaint was blissfully ignored as Big walked on, unconcerned with the people he kept blinding along the road.

* * *

Ryo and Robert, the long-time partners of Kyokugen, were chilling in the pool. Yuri was in Robert's arms, donning an adorable frilly pink two-piece. She was content to lay against his chest, sighing blissfully with a fruity concoction in her hands.

"Whew... we needed this." Robert sighed with relief. "I am SO DONE with fighting. For a little while."

"Robbie sweetie, aren't you worried that everyone will wreck your mansion?" Yuri addressed a very valid concern.

Surprisingly, Robert remained chill. "Ah, messes can be cleaned. Heh heh. I just don't even give a shit. Hahahaha. Hey Ryo, why you so quiet?"

The Sakazaki in question was currently sulking. The blonde man, clad in orange trunks, had yet to get anything but his feet wet, as he propped on the edge of the pool with arms folded and an angry huff. It was easy to tell what he was mad about, as he had been having this same problem even at the beginning of the week. When everyone was gathered around, enjoying the fun and festivities, there was ALWAYS one woman missing...

"WHERE. IS. KING?!"

Robert reached up to pat his shoulder, but second-guessed himself and retracted it.

"Ah... buddy... there's no easy way to say this."

"Just say it!"

"You sure?"

"SAY IT!"

"She's tending bar."

"GOD FREAKING DAMMIT KING WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS BUS-MRRMMRMRRMRRMRMRMRPHHH..."

His irrational, sporadic rant was cut short by a pair of lips pressing on his. As his wheels had been in full motion, the words continued to spill out uncontrollably even as the kiss muffled them. It took a second or two for him to slam the brakes... before he finally realized who had kissed him. He looked up, saw her smiling face, her blonde hair, earrings... and his heart melted.

"King..."

"I brought you a mojito. Thirsty?" King extended the offer with a wink.

"Th-thanks babe. Sorry." Ryo sheepishly accepted the drink. As he sat there and enjoyed the concoction... his eyes couldn't help but avert from the glass and check out the tall blonde, who had been standing there awaiting his feedback. To what exactly: the drink or her high-cut white one-piece swimsuit, it was unclear. Probably both.

"Well? What do you think?"

"King, baby... why are you wearing that one-piece?" Ryo asked with a pout.

King's eyes narrowed. "Because my ribs are dark purple, okay? Shit. Now how is the drink?"

"Cmon King... you have such a nice core. I'm sure nobody would mind your bruised ribs." Ryo grinned.

King rolled her eyes. "My best is from the waist down, and you know it. Now... the drink?"

"O-oh! It's delicious. Thank you, King."

Finally, that perked the blonde back up. "You're welcome, sweetie. Enjoy~"

King gave Ryo a cute little boop on the nose before turning around and walking away, feeling prideful as she always does when complimented on her handiwork. The entire time she was walking away... Ryo and Robert's eyes stayed glued to everything from the waist down: her tall, shimmering legs that seemed to go on forever... and that masterfully molded backside, which was displaying a generous amount of cheek on both ends, thanks to the way the swimsuit rode up just right in the middle.

"Well, Ryo... she's definitely right." Robert agreed, his voice almost zombie-like.

"Yeah..." Ryo seconded.

"Yeah..." Yuri thirded.

* * *

"Urrrrgh...!"

"Just hold still, Geese. There, see? Are you feeling it?"

"Ah...ahhhhh... y-yeaaah... ohhhhh shit that's nice..."

Chizuru couldn't contain her giggle seeing Geese so compromised. She had helped the blonde man into a beach chair, getting him laid out nice and flat, and was nice enough to apply some Icy Hot to his nagging wound received by Dio. Her hands did masterful work on his bare torso, fingers working the salve deep into the swollen, bulging laceration, grossly crusted with blood. The fact that Chizuru was willing to even put her hands there meant that Geese had truly grown on the woman. Although this week HAD been pretty stressful for the two of them... Chizuru had to admit, hosting with Geese wasn't the worst thing in the world. He handled his end, just as she did hers, and they butted heads a lot but always came together when the shit got really nasty. At the very least, they could take pride in that no innocent lives were lost, and everybody made it home safe.

"Mmm... please keep doing that..." Geese groaned with a shameless pleasure as Chizuru's silky smooth hands traced across his wound in a circular motion. Geese also got a free show out of it: Chizuru was rocking a classy white bandeau bikini top, lacking in shoulder straps. The fabric came around and met in the middle of her chest, bound together by a gold ring in the center. It wasn't incredibly tiny... but it was small enough on top and bottom to show a little oomph, as well as the middle giving a generous exposure of her moderate figure as well.

"I'm sorry you lost your Coliseum, Geese." Chizuru smiled. "You salty about it?"

Geese grinned. "Eh... I WAS. But then a beautiful woman started touching me and I lost my train of thought."

Chizuru gently swatted his chest. "You should have just said you still are. Then maybe I might've wanted to make you feel better~"

Geese's eyebrows raised. "W-well the offer's still on the table!"

"Mmmmm... I dunno..."

"Cmon Chizuru, my side is split open. Show some damned pity for me!"

"Geese, asking for pity? This must be a fever dream."

"I-I mean! No, I don't want stupid pity! Woman, don't talk down to m-"

"Just shut up. Here."

Chizuru smiled, keeping a hand on his torso for leverage as she leaned in close... and gave Geese Howard seven uninterrupted seconds of her lips. And as quickly as it came, so too did it end as they pulled apart with a soft smooch.

"It was a pleasure hosting with you, Geese. Let's never do it again."

With that, Chizuru took her leave, allowing Geese to bask in the warm afterglow in his comfy chair. As his arms propped behind his head, his eyes darting subtly downwards to watch her walk away in style... his lips widened with a huge grin.

"Agreed."

* * *

Meanwhile, a volleyball net had been set up for a particularly "cheeky" game. The cheeks in question mainly belonged to B. Jenet, one of the girls far more expected to dress provocative compared to the rest of the roster. She didn't disappoint: the purple two-piece she wore contained a dangerously low-cut bandeau top, which somehow managed to rest just above the threshold of accidentally slipping "something" in the chest department.

The briefs she wore were extremely high-cut, leaving no conservation of her thighs whatsoever. Around the corner, her real estate in the back was SPILLING out, as whatever minuscule fabric resided back there only succeeded in the bare minimum of holding things together. Needless to say, plenty was left on B. Jenet to jiggle freely with her jumps.

"Miss Todoh, are you ready~?" Jenet asked, complete with a pink heart fluttering from her lips.

"Yeah, let's do this. OSU!" Kasumi tightened her headband, which she still felt the need to wear. Perhaps volleyball was just another test of fighting technique for her. The blue-haired martial artist was a lot more modest, wearing some cute navy blue boyshorts and a white tanktop over her blue bikini top.

"Cmon May Lee! We can take em!"

Their opponents on the other side consisted of May Lee and, the de facto leader of the two... Athena Asamiya herself.

"It's an honor to be on the same team as a hero of light like you, Miss Asamiya. Let's BANISH these evildoers!" May Lee boisterously announced, striking a heroic pose in her blue hipster bikini bottoms and halter top.

"H-hey, I'm not evil." Kasumi meekly responded.

"Fair enough. Evil people have more fun anyway, ahahahahahaha~" B. Jenet cackled. "SERVE IT UP!"

Athena grabbed the ball. "HERE WE GOOOOO!"

It was nice to see Asamiya in good spirits, especially after what all went down in the tournament for her. This was wonderful therapy for her, stripping her earthly concerns (as well as her clothes) and taking this delightful moment to just have FUN. No more talk of "fate" or being "chosen". Screw all that noise.

As proof that she was back to her happy self, Athena was rocking an exquisite pink bikini with sparkles all over it. The top did just enough to show what a woman she could be, while also preserving her innocence. The pink bottoms, on the other hand... well, they definitely caught some people looking. Slightly high-cut to show a little thigh, held together by thin strings, they scrunched up just right in the back to show some cheek, as well as mold perfectly in the center canyon to give a little outline of the inner-workings.

But the most SURPRISING feature, debatable as to whether it could be intentional or not... the bottoms hung just low enough in the back to tease a little plumber action up top, at least a half-inch. Either it was a major wardrobe malfunction, in which people were either too embarrassed or exploitative to inform her... or Athena Asamiya was truly feeling like a phoenix soaring free with new life.

"HYAH! SPIKE IT, MAY LEE!"

"GOTCHA! HyaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAH JUSTICE!"

The ball seemed to find May Lee's foot as if the two were meant to be together. The intense velocity was impossible for B. Jenet or Kasumi to stop, and the ball impacted within their border to score a point for Team Psycho.

"Grrrr. VENGEANCE!" B. Jenet declared. "HERE WE GO! HYAAH!"

B. Jenet sent it upwards... for Kasumi to step forward, in Kendo stance, and take a huge overhand swing.

"HIYAAAAAAH!"

"C-careful Kasumi, don't cut the thing in half!"

The ball was sure to impact on the ground... but somehow, Athena managed to get under it and save it.

"Wh-what?!"

"It's all you May Lee!"

"GOTCHA! HOOOOOAH KICK OF DIVINE EVIL PUNISHMENT!"

May Lee let loose a flying heel strike, sending the ball crashing like a meteor into B. Jenet's territory. Once again, the ball and May Lee's foot came together like synchronized dancing... almost unnatural...

B. Jenet picked the ball back up for only a second, before angrily slamming it. "UGH! You're cheating, aren't you Athena?!"

Athena put on her most innocent face. "What? How dare you accuse me!"

"Guuuh nevermind. Serve it, Kasumi."

Kasumi knocked it over, Athena returned it, right towards B. Jenet... and the woman held nothing back.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAH!" B. Jenet whacked the ball so hard, her strike produced gale winds that rocketed the ball WELL over the threshold of the playing field, now traveling towards the boundary of Robert's backyard, to fly over the mansion wall.

"AH!" Athena lost her composure... and walked right into the trap. As her hands extended, her Psycho Power activated, suspending the ball in mid-air just long enough for her to jerk her hands and pull it back towards their area.

"AHA! I KNEW IT!" B. Jenet thrust an accusatory finger. "You've been using Psycho Power to feed the ball to May Lee. No wonder she could pull off those perfect spikes!"

The ball bounced innocently by Athena's feet; the purple-haired girl didn't even pay it mind as she giggled and flashed a huge, goofy set of teeth.

"Ehhheheheheheheheeee... well, if you're not cheating, you're not trying~"

A few yards from the action, the awesome all-girl volleyball game had attracted some lovestruck admirers. They both sat there in perfect harmony, left hand propped against their cheek, keeping their head still as their goo goo eyes wistfully scanned the beautiful female art before them.

"Haaaaah... she really is beautiful." Kensou swooned, his voice in a hopeless trance.

"Yeah..." Shingo seconded. "That May Lee really is a fox."

"Wh-what, no! I'm talking about Athena, you idiot! A-THE-NA! No other girl on this planet measures up to her perfection!"

"...Whatever, dude. If you love her so much, then just go talk to her."

"I-I've already tried!"

"Well, you gotta do something different. I'm sure sitting over here ogling her isn't helping your case m-UUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HOOOOOOLY FREEEEEAKING MAI'S TITS!"

The party literally stopped. Duck King actually fainted on top of his equipment, causing a shrill scratching noise that halted the music. Eiji Kisaragi fell out of a tree, his nose pouring torrents of blood.

The sliding glass doors had opened wide... and out walked the woman who could put the world on pause with her presence.

Mai Shiranui had, as was the case many, many times before... proven just how pathetically EASY it was for her to steal the show whenever she walked into a room. The sling bikini she wore was the pinnacle, the APEX of female attractiveness. Her body was on practically full display, enough to addle the hormones of the male populace and potentially even incite a mating war.

The red sling bikini started at the crotch, the base for which this unholy piece of flimsy fabric would evolve. From the base, two thin 2-inch strips split off and went up both sides like a V, crossing just over the center of her massive booby real estate, succeeding in only the bare minimum of preventing full nudity, while leaving absolutely nothing else to the imagination, as those two thin strips traveled behind the shoulders to bind the swimsuit from the back.

...And that's all it did in the back. The two strips cascaded down her back in a constant V formation, traveling towards a singular point from which they were bound: a thin piece of floss, nestled right between Mai's galactic ass cheeks, where the sun doesn't shine. Everything was left to the highest margin of freedom, from her all-but-unbound globes, to the twin slabs of excessive rear meat which jiggled with no worldly restraints to speak of.

What drove Mai to do these things? What ticked inside the inner-mechanisms of her complicated psyche? What compelled that mind to strut forward, with no shame, no modesty? Was it an overpowering high of confidence, a superpowered self-awareness in the beauty she commanded?

Everyone awaited her to open her mouth and finally shed some light on why, WHY in the name of all that's holy, she would ever wear such a thing. But as she took a deep breath, lips parting... only two words would escape from the mouth belonging to that shameless, sultry seductress:

"Where's Andy?"

* * *

Inside the house, things were a little more chill. Takuma, Heidern, Tung Fu Rue and Oswald had gathered around the table to play poker. Takuma was enjoying some warm sake, Tung some Chinese beer, while Heidern swung for bourbon. Oswald was the only dry one; he was so invested in his craft, he hadn't touched a drop of liquid.

"Call em."

Takuma slammed his hand down. "Pair of threes."

Tung stroked his beard, laying his hand down. "Three sevens."

Heidern kept his grade-A poker face. "Straight."

With a smirk... Oswald laid his down last. "Flush."

Tung looked away in annoyance. Takuma gently slammed his fist on the table. Heidern was the only one still not broken, although he looked like he didn't wish to play any further as well.

"Well, congrats. You broke your record of 599 wins in a row. Care to go for 601 now?"

With a soft chuckle, Oswald rose to his feet and collected his playing cards. "Actually, I just retired."

* * *

Kyo and Daimon were chilling on the couch, trying to watch tv. Kyo was rocking some humble brown trunks, while Daimon, in true Japanese spirit, had a white pair of trunks with the Rising Sun right on his crotch.

Emphasis on "trying"... as the man doing squats and toe-touches in front of them wasn't making it easy.

"Ahhhhhhh! I just love a nice workout before I go swimming. Gotta stretch those hammies, you know? Yeeeeeeah that's the stuff!"

Kyo's disgusted face was a result of Benimaru continuing to protrude his business right in front of it, courtesy of the ridiculously small leopard-print speedo he wore proudly, like a trophy. In Benimaru's mind... he WAS a trophy. The guy was truly deluded.

"Beni, if you put your ass in my face one more time... I'm setting your hair on fire. I swear to god I'll burn you bald."

Benimaru, having touched his toes for the 20th time, rose back up and flashed a wink. "Envy, envy, envy. All I hear are the sad, miserable ramblings of a man coveting another man's aesthetic perfection."

Before Kyo and Benimaru could get into it any further... they were interrupted by the door swinging open and a familiar face storming in, screaming.

"I SAID GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU TWO ARE OFF YOUR F**ING ROCKER!"

Iori Yagami, rocking his dark gray trunks, was currently in pursuit by the blonde and redhead women that continued to haunt his reality. They were dressed for swimming as well, sporting identical black thong bikinis.

"Cmon Iori~" Vice moaned. "I just wanna shove your head underwater for a few seconds, just enough to get your FLAILING a little. I promise I won't hurt you~"

"NO! FOOT DOWN! NO! F*** YOU BOTH! PISS OFF!"

Iori sprinted upstairs, looking for a room to take cover in from the wrath of the specters. He searched frantically, looking for a door that FELT right... but he quickly realized that anything was better than being left in the open. With a swallow, he barged through Door Number 1...

"Gah! Uh... h-hey, Yagami."

Iori was met by the sight of Yuki sitting on the edge of the bed, already rocking a white pair of trunks with a red streak down each side. For some reason, the closet was open wide right in front of him, as if he was just looking in. As to WHAT was in the closet, Iori had no idea.

"Guh. Nevermind."

With those two brief words, Iori walked out the room and slammed the door.

"Hey YUKI! How about this one?"

Yuki turned back around to resume his activity, a smile on his face. Ai was in front of him, now displaying a new bikini: a black two-piece, held together by red strings, with the white G-Mantle mask littered all over the dark fabric.

"What do you think~?"

Yuki put a hand to his chin. "Hmmm... I dunno. I kinda liked the one with Metal Slug bombs all over it.

Ai stomped. "Yuki! Cmoooon! Are you gonna help me settle for one or not?!"

"...I dunno. I just wanna keep watching you change."

"...You're so bad~"

Iori decided not to do the obvious thing and pick the next door down; he picked the fourth door down instead. Deciding it couldn't be any worse than stumbling on Yuki, Iori charged through the door, slammed it, and locked it behind him. He slumped against the wall, eyes closed, taking a deep breath of relief. He opened his eyes.

...It took him all of five seconds to lose his cool again.

He first noticed that flowing blue mane, no longer restrained by the usual clip that kept it up, draping down like a majestic curtain. His eyes darted down lower: his heart started racing when he saw the state her light brown bikini left her in. The center string was hard at work keeping the cloth from bursting, struggling to contain her breasts which were bulging out the top, middle... even a subtle slip of underboob peeking out the bottom. Her brown bikini bottom was a small triangle, sustained by two flimsy strings that wrapped around the back to hold everything in place from behind. A LOT of her thigh was staring Iori in the face... and every flawless inch of smooth leg.

"O-oh... hey. Didn't uh... know you were here."

Leona's face was hard to read, as usual; she didn't seem pleased to see Iori, but she also wasn't looking to ram into his stomach and pull his intestine out either. No, she was completely and utterly unreadable... the only thing that could determine her attitude were her actions themselves.

Iori was actually happy to see her make a move; at least now he could finally figure her out. But he had to admit, his heart starting pounding when she approached his vicinity. He found himself backing up to the door, until the wood pressed against his back and prevented any further retreat.

The mystery was about to be solved... and maybe Iori's life taken.

Leona's hand reached outwards, towards Iori's heart... then averted it at the last second to lock the doorknob.

"Looks like you found the right room." she softly declared, her voice containing a hint of meekness. Iori could see a subtle shade of red forming on her cheeks.

"...I'll say." the redhead replied, his face burning with a similar redness.

 **LATER THAT EVENING...**

The party was still going on, even as the sky began to darken. Many of them had finally left and gone back to the hotel, to rest up and prepare to finally leave Milan, Italy and get back to their lives. And that was the big question... what WAS next for the contestants? For most, this whole trip had been uneventful. They would return home, back to their regular routines, as if nothing had changed. For others... this had been a truly rewarding and enriching experience, that they would remember for the duration of their existence.

...But there was still one person, among everyone, who won 2 million dollars in cash. Obviously, this would change his life DRASTICALLY. And so, the burning question resided: what was next for Ash Crimson?

"Shen, Monsieur Lon, please guard my stuff."

As Ash got up, dusted off his red flaming trunks, and prepared to walk in the house, the two guys in question were struck with curiosity.

"Where ya headed, bud? Going to find a certain someone?" Shen inquired.

Ash turned for only a second... to flash a coy smile. "Yes, Shen. I am going to find the mademoiselle. Don't follow me."

That was the only hint they needed. Not saying another word, Shen Woo and Duo Lon kept Ash's money stuffed nice and safe in a briefcase, as well as his trophy shielded from potential damage. With these hooligans, it was a good idea to keep it close.

It took several upstairs doors for Ash to locate Elisabeth; the kid ended up walking in on people sleeping together several times. But, through sheer perseverance and stubbornness on his part... he worked his way through the hallways, until one lucky door opened... and revealed his target woman.

She was standing by the windowsill, her blue hair fluttering from the ceiling fan, still clad in an elegant white silk bikini that the rest of the people never got to see. The sight of her luscious legs, her pristine posterior, those ample orbs that could barely be contained by the white floral top, would forever be lost to the rest of the eyes... except his.

"You look beautiful in the moonlight, Betty."

His voice captured her attention, as Elisabeth finally turned around to meet eyes with the most complicated person in her life. Her face, initially gloomy, actually brightened the slightest when he entered the room, indicating that she was, indeed, happy to see him.

"How come you never came down to join the others?" Ash asked, shutting the door behind him and approaching Elisabeth's proximity... her face turning slightly pink as the shirtless kid drew closer.

Elisabeth turned back around to hide her fluster. "I just wasn't feeling like a large crowd today. To be honest... I was hoping you would come up here and join me, so I wouldn't have to go down there."

"Sorry I kept you waiting."

After Ash approached the windowsill, both of them turning their backs to face outwards, gazing at the dark sky beyond... a solemn silence overtook them, as both prepared for words to say. It was unclear who would go first... until one did.

"Betty, I have things that I need to tell you. Too many things. So could you just stand there for a while, and don't open your mouth? Please."

Elisabeth was slightly taken aback by Ash's assertiveness. He was always a hard person to talk to, but it was because he was always playful and dismissive. It wasn't often she actually saw... THIS side of him.

"Speak." was Elisabeth's only word in response.

Ash reached up to awkwardly fiddle with his hair. "Well, first thing's first... I love you, Betty. I love you. I... really... love you..."

Elisabeth looked away; her face brightened up like it was being pre-heated.

"Secondly... I know things have been complicated between us for a LONG time. I... I've done horrible things to you. I left you, broke your heart, after we shared such a wonderful childhood together. I'll never forgive myself for that."

Elisabeth's stomach sank; it wasn't that she didn't believe him. Just... the IMPACT of those words, to hear after so long, that he actually had remorse in his heart... when she thought he wasn't capable of it. Maybe he really was... normal again...

Her thoughts were cut short when Ash forcefully grabbed her hands, those captivating azure eyes peering into hers.

"I need to know that you forgive me, Betty. I need to hear it."

Elisabeth's eyes hit the floor. "...That's a tough thing to ask of me on the spot, Ash. I... I can't... not now..."

Ash certainly didn't' like that answer, but he didn't let it deter him either. "Fine, fine. I'll ask you again someday."

Elisabeth turned away, her blush stronger. "S...sorry..."

The conversation was starting to sour. Another awkward silence between the two of them, as their eyes stared only forward, out the window. Ash felt his heart start to quicken, more beats with each passing minute. He had something he wanted to say... but the words weren't quite there yet. He was trying... TRYING... finally he just forced them out, so abruptly a little spit actually dribbled on his chin.

"Th-THE MONEY'S YOURS, BETTY!"

Elisabeth's eyes shot open as she swung back around. Eyes met his, just in time for him to wipe the embarrassing spittle from his mouth where he expelled those words.

"What... did you...?"

"The 2 million dollars. I'm giving it to you, Betty." Ash continued, now in full-motion, his courage seeing him through to the last sentence. "Use it to rebuild... restore the Blanctorche mansion back to livable conditions. You deserve it. And then... m-maybe we... we could live together, like old times..."

Elisabeth felt her lip quivering. She tried to put her fingers up there... but it wouldn't stop. She tried TWO hands... but she was so focused on quelling her lips, she couldn't stop her eyes from producing moisture.

"A-Ash... oh my god, Ash..."

"I want us to be like it used to be, Betty." Ash continued. "Us living together, I mean. Obviously, it can't ALL be the same, since, I'm grown up and you... you're too beautiful for words..."

Elisabeth couldn't hold herself back anymore. She threw herself against Ash, smothering the boy within her soft bosom, unintentionally right between her unrestricted cleavage. His arms flailed uncontrollably for a second before wrapping around her waist... only to remember that her skin was all but bare. He embarrassingly tried to grab somewhere else, but his hands accidentally slid down her backside, caressing all the way down her thighs...

Elisabeth could tell the effect she was having on Ash, as she could distinctly feel his trunks elevating until a large tent pressed against her pelvis. But she didn't care... neither of them cared. This moment, awkward as it was, was still THEIR moment. This was their closure, their reconciliation, their way forward, the final aversion of their eyes from the past and present, to only see a future where they could be together again.

Ash pried his head from her bosom... and his lips closed right back in, planting kisses on the bare skin of her chest, working up her neck. "Mmph... mmmph... oh Betty... why didn't you let everyone see you like this... you've kept yourself hidden up here all day, an angel ashamed of her wings..."

Elisabeth closed her eyes, grabbed the back of his head... and pulled him back in, accepting all he had to offer. "I told you... I was waiting for you. I was waiting for this moment. For EVERYTHING."

Ash tackled her on the bed, pinning her effortlessly, hovering over her, gazing into her with longing eyes.

"You've waited long enough, Betty. As long as I'm here, you're done waiting. Both of us are."

Ash's lips founds hers... and they consummated the start of a new step forward, taking a huge step back... back to a beautiful time. Back to a happy time. Back to them.

 **I won't lie... I'm not happy with this chapter. I failed to do much of what I wanted to. I really only succeeded in giving all the characters a tiny grain of screentime. The Ash scene with Elisabeth was obviously the crowning achievement. Now that I'm finished, I can honestly say I don't like this chapter.**

 **And so, I can only promise you that the final chapter will wrap up everything in a nice, neat bow. I don't care how long it takes. Everyone is going to get the closure they need.**

 **FINAL CHAPTER: The Interviews. Stay tuned for a rather... interesting... epilogue. You will either love it or hate it, but it is what it is. Until next time!**


	43. Chapter 43: The Interviews

**How to describe this final chapter... exposition dump. That's all it is. There's no character interaction, nothing physically happens. It's just talking, from start to finish. Every important (enough) character will have their own little moment to just get stuff off their chest. Many characters will NOT make an appearance. But don't worry, it's only the ones you don't care about lol.**

 **This chapter may seem monotonous, repetitive... maybe even lifeless to you. But you gotta understand how hard it is to work with so many characters and give them all proper attention to express their thoughts and feelings on things. And, real talk... i'm tired. I get so tired of having to describe this and that, running, jumping, punching, kicking, willy and nilly. I NEED this chapter, to just... vent. To just talk, talk, talk, and put it all out there, with no other bullcrap. This is a necessary chapter, and I feel that I can't end the story without it.**

 **So, without further ado, please enjoy the conclusion to King of Fighters: Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite. I love you all, my loyal supporters, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for going on this journey with me. Until the next story, this is jojoDO signing off!**

My name is Clerence Bellamy. I don't expect you to know me. I'm an amateur news reporter: strictly small-time. But that's all about to change, I assure you. You see, I have the advantage: I know something BIG, something that the rest of the world hasn't quite caught on to yet. Wanna know what it is? Heh... I guess I could tell you. You can't stop me at this point anyway. Fine, here goes. You ready?

...I know for fact that a new guy is planning on hosting King of Fighters in the future. A big guy... and I mean BIG. Guy's got money for days. He's a Russian. Filthy rich. Billionaire. Calls himself Antonov. Now, I'm a smart, opportunistic guy... and I see opportunity in front of me. I KNOW this guy means business. He's gonna buy out King of Fighters easily, rebrand the company, mold it to his own design. He's gonna be in charge of everything: tv execs, marketing, advertising, publicity. This guy is about to conquer the world... and I want in. All I gotta do is nail this reporting job at AMBC, and I'm sitting pretty. I'm talking BIG TIME, baby. I'm gonna be the man in front of the camera, with a snazzy suit, and a microphone. I'm gonna be right in front of the action, where the whole world can see my face.

I'm Clerence Bellamy. I'm gonna be the face of KoF News.

I'm currently here in Milan, Italy, where the tournament has recently concluded. Before the contestants have a chance to leave the country, I'm going to seize the opportunity and nail as many of them as I can lay eyes on. I'm a predator; my prey's right in front of me, ringing the dinner bell. If I'm gonna prove myself to the big guy, I've gotta go in guns blazing and hold nothing back. This is my chance! My one and only chance!

I'm Clerence Bellamy. Here goes nothing.

 **1: TERRY BOGARD**

"I'm first? Whoa."

 _"I consider you a, if not THE, pioneer of King of Fighters, so it's only fitting that you should go first."_

"Oh. Well thanks. I'm flattered."

 _"Are you disappointed that you didn't win the tournament?"_

"Naah. It's like I told my girl Mary: I've had my time in the limelight. I had my share of victories back then, and I'm proud to have been a part of that history. Winning is just not that important to me in this day and age. I still love fighting, of course, I'd NEVER give that up. But... there's just other important things in my life too, ya know? More important than winning."

 _"In that second round, you watched both Blue Mary and your brother Andy suffer crushing defeats. Did that strike a blow to your morale at all? Did that affect your performance going into Round 3?"_

"Yeah... I gotta be honest. Yes. I was definitely feeling the weight of my loved ones losing like that. It gave me a heavy heart... and 'heavy' is not a word you want to be carrying with you in the ring. But as for my performance? Eh... I fought as well as I always do. No doubts there."

 _"What is your current opinion on Geese Howard?"_

"Ah... hehehe. You had to hit me with that one, eh? Look, Geese is always going to be a... complicated person in mine and Andy's life. He took our father from us. That's something Andy and I can never forgive. But seeking vengeance? Pfeh. Those days are far beyond us, I think. Yeah, Geese is a piece of shit, and it's not fair that he took a precious life and gets to continue on living. But we've got two options: we can either let ourselves be defined by vengeance for the rest of our lives... or we can move on. It sucks, but... we can't get stuck on that stuff forever. So, as far as Geese is concerned... I don't care anymore. I don't love him. I hate him pretty well. But I'm not going to let him dictate my life anymore."

 _"How do you feel about losing to Geese in Round 3? Many speculate that you allowed him to win. Is this true?"_

"No, no, no, and for the last time, NO. I did not allow Geese to beat me. The guy was just extra motivated this time, okay? He had a reason to fight; he wanted this to be his last rodeo, the thing that people remembered him for the most. He was gonna beat me, then rise up and win the whole thing. To be honest, I'm a little bummed he didn't make it in the end."

 _"So... you're not shaken up about-"_

"No, I'm not. Everyone wins. Everyone loses. I lost to Geese one time. Big deal! I've thrown him off a roof at least twice. Maybe... three times? I dunno. I've lost count."

 **2: ANDY BOGARD**

 _"Do you feel like you lived up to your full potential in this tournament?"_

"Sigh... no. To be painfully honest... no. Look, it's been a long career for me. I've had my ups and downs. Sometimes, I've questioned my motivation, whether my heart's still in this or not. If we're being honest here, I don't feel like the Andy Bogard of old. The way I'm going now, I'll probably end up hanging up my gloves and settling down with Mai soon."

 _"Would you be happy spending the rest of your days with Mai Shiranui?"_

"Oh hell yes. There was a time when I used to be meek, subdued when it came to her. That's over with. Mai is perfectly willing to express the extent of her love for me, so it's only fair that I meet her halfway. I DO love Mai. I plan on spending the rest of my life with her, even if it means putting her above fighting."

 _"Do you feel like you have unfinished business with your brother?"_

"Ehhhh... not as strongly as I once did. I think I grew out of those childish emotions. Crying that 'big brother is better than me'... bleh. Nonsense. I think I'm in a good place now. Heh... at least i did get ONE over on Terry: I got the sexiest woman in the freaking universe, the object of male desire, on my arm. Heh heh. Beat that."

 _"So you're no longer embarrassed by how Mai flaunts herself in public?"_

"Well, she DOES go a little far sometimes... like just last month, she- you know what, I probably shouldn't tell you these things."

 _"Hee hee... we can go off record."_

"...Okay. Well, you see, she got REALLY drunk and-"

 **3: JOE HIGASHI**

 _"How do you feel about your performance in the tournament?"_

"Hey, I did alright! I made it to Round 3, baby! I got further than Andy and Mai, which is pretty okay in my book."

 _"Do you feel like people consider you a jobber to the Bogards?"_

"You hit hard, dude. Yeah... I do feel that sometimes. But then there's times like THIS when I step up and prove that's NOT the case. YAHOO!"

 _"People could argue that you had an easier route to Round 3 compared to-"_

"Look, don't take this away from me, okay? I don't wanna hear it."

 **4: RYO SAKAZAKI**

 _"Let me just say, I consider you a living legend. You won the very first King of Fighters, which is awesome!"_

"Hey, thanks man! I like you already."

 _"Do you feel like you could have beaten K'?"_

"I certainly had a chance. I wasn't 100% going into my battle against K'. The fights against that Korean Dragon dude and Kasumi took a lot out of me. Not to take anything away from K', that kid is a BEAST. But I could've done better."

 _"Are you happy with how far you made it?"_

"I really wish I had at least made the quarterfinals. But, 20 out of 80 isn't bad at all!"

 _"What is your opinion on Kasumi Todoh?"_

"She's gotten a lot better. She had me in serious trouble at multiple points! I can say with no exaggeration, she almost pulled it off. Ah, but she's a nice girl. I like her. She likes me too, even though she's sworn her life to kicking my ass at least once."

 _"What's the story with you and King?"_

"I love King. Period."

 _"With your father retiring, what's next for you? Are you the new grandmaster of Kyokugen?"_

"Yeah, Pops ain't cutting it anymore. You can call me the new Mr. Karate! I'm going to ensure the Kyokugen name carries on for many more decades. Then maybe Yuri can be Ms. Karate."

 **5: ROBERT GARCIA**

 _"Are you disappointed to have been eliminated in Round 2?"_

"Yeah, it was definitely a shocker. Geese was totally motivated. Something gave that old, scarred-up jerkface an extra boost. I think he might've been juicing?"

 _"How's your mansion? Still in one piece?"_

"I dunno. I barely stay there."

 _"How are things with you and Yuri?"_

"Ah, we're fiiiine. Yuri and me are soul mates. I'm gonna marry that little cutie patootie one day, and Master Takuma won't be able to stop me in his condition. WAHAHAHAHAHA!"

 _"Do you spar with Ryo any nowadays? Do you feel a need to surpass him?"_

"Buddy, I've been watching Ryo's ass for far too long to think about standing above it. Ryo is not some opponent I strive to defeat. He's my brother. We fight side-by-side, not standing across from each other. Yeah, we spar... but I don't get competitive with him."

 **6: TAKUMA SAKAZAKI**

 _"So I gotta ask first... are you serious about it?"_

"I'm in pain as we speak. Yes I'm serious about it! I'm done!"

 _"What are you going to do now that you've given up on fighting?"_

"Hey, I'm done competing, but I can still help out with the dojo and teachings. I'm passing the moniker 'Mr. Karate' onto my son Ryo, but the world will never forget who the OG is. You better not forget, either. But to answer your question, I'm going to be a lot lazier now. More tv, more eating, drinking, hanging out with friends. I can still have a social life!"

 _"Do you have any regrets? Do you have any goals you wish you could still accomplish?"_

"Nah. I've done pretty much everything I set out to do. Keeping Kyokugen alive is all that matters to me. As long as our culture thrives, I can sleep peacefully at night. I... DO wish I could've gotten a crack at Geese, though. He still has a couple of things deserving of a fist to the face. Namely, the death of Jeff Bogard, orchestrating the kidnapping of my daughter, forcing me to work for Mr. Big. Bah. But at the end of the day, I can carry on without seeking petty old vengeance."

 **7: MAI SHIRANUI**

 _"Do you think you're the sexiest woman in the universe?"_

"Is Geese Howard a loser weeb?"

 _"How do you feel about getting knocked out in the second round?"_

"It was a total shocker! I wasn't expecting some mysterious handsome ninja sharing my grandfather's name to come out of nowhere and whoop me! I felt pretty bad about it... but then he pounded Joe too, and I felt a little better after that."

 _"How important was winning to you?"_

"Oho. Do I look like a woman that'll be worse off for losing a stupid tournament? Yeah, I could have used that 2 million dollars to run away with Andy and live as a wealthy, high-class, pinky-waving couple... but at the end of the day, as long as I have Andy, I don't need anything else in the world."

 _"Is there a chance you could ever stop loving Andy?"_

"I'm starting to think you may be mentally challenged."

 _"Before you go, do you think I could take a couple... hundred pictures of you?"_

"Sweetie, I don't have all day. If we're done here, then SAYONARA~"

 **8\. YURI SAKAZAKI**

 _"How do you feel about your performance in the tournament?"_

"I could've done better. I did have an AWESOME fight with my girl Xiangfei, but that Yamazaki was a total creep! I wish I had a different opponent!"

 _"If you had a different opponent than Ryuji Yamazaki, do you think you would have made it further?"_

"Definitely."

 _"Where do you go from here?"_

"Ehhh... nothing special. I'll keep training, keep hanging out with my friends, keep loving Robbie. That's all I need~"

 _"Do you agree with your father's decision to retire?"_

"Oh absolutely. I was scared for Papa's life in that tournament! I don't ever want to see him go through something so heinous again! From now on, it's La-Z-Boy and Wheel of Fortune for him."

 **9: KING**

 _"A lot happened to you in this tournament."_

"No shit."

 _"How are your ribs?"_

"It hurts to breathe right now, thank you."

 _"I know a lot happened to you, and so I must wonder... are you satisfied with how things turned out?"_

"...Real talk? I feel like a new woman. Kicking Big in his bald head was the greatest thing that could have ever happened to me. It felt... so empowering. You, you can't just say 'f*** you' to a guy like Mr. Big. The only way you can change his way of thinking... is to alter his brain with blunt force trauma."

 _"Do you feel like Mr. Big respects you more now?"_

"Oh, no doubt about that. He's practically kissing my feet now that I humbled him in front of his boys. It feels good."

 _"Do you ever wish you could go back to that world?"_

"Hell... no. It SUCKED. Being the only woman in a gang of macho douchebags is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. I was the butt of every joke, the punchline to every dirty remark. Every day was a battle, standing my ground all alone, with nobody to get behind me. God bless Ryo for getting me out of that life. I wouldn't go back to those idiots for double the Kumite prize money."

 _"Do you think Mr. Big holds a grudge against you for turning on him back then?"_

"If he did, he sure as hell doesn't now. Look, enough Big questions. I laid down the law with him, let him know how it's gonna be from now on. He has no bearing on my life now or anytime soon."

 _"How are things between you and Ryo?"_

"...From one thing to another, huh? Seriously? I love Ryo. Period. Now leave me alone."

 **10: KASUMI TODOH**

 _"What is your opinion on Ryo Sakazaki?"_

"Just because I'm honor-bound to avenge mine and my father's defeats to him, doesn't mean I'm not allowed to be friendly with him. Ryo is an okay guy. I like Yuri too."

 _"Are you disappointed that you once again suffered a loss to him?"_

"Yeah. But whatevs, I'm still young. The laws of natural progression will soon allow me to beat Ryo just on the principle of me being youthful and healthy, and him being half brain-dead from too many headshots over the years."

 _"Do you seriously want that to be the way you finally triumph over Ryo?"_

"I was just joking. Sheesh."

 **11: KIM KAPHWAN**

 _"Do you feel that you could have made it further, had Jhun Hoon not challenged you the night before the Opening Round?"_

"Straight to the nitty gritty, huh? Yes, I do feel that way."

 _"Are you bitter towards Jhun Hoon for what he did?"_

"Well... I can't be TOO mad at him. He was just playing the game, like everyone else. Everyone's entry cards were up for grabs, and I was all alone in the middle of the night. I guess I was asking for trouble."

 _"What are your current feelings about Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge, your reform projects?"_

"I'm done with those two boneheads. Even now, in the greatest King of Fighters tournament to date, they still couldn't refrain from dirty tactics. I consider this project to be a complete and utter failure."

 _"So what's next for you then? Will there be a new Team Kim?"_

"Yeah, I have a few bad seeds scouted. They could use some whipping into shape, and I'll be the one to do it. ACHOOOOOO!"

 _"May I have names?"_

"They're a couple of Geese's old flunkies. I'll leave the rest to your imagination."

 **12: BLUE MARY**

 _"Did you have fun?"_

"Yeah, it was a blast. It felt good to fight for fun, instead of the usual dirty work I have to do. Of course... that DID eventually come up, too. Ugh. My work is never done."

 _"Can you disclose any details on the NESTS/WAREZ Operation?"_

"Uhhhhhhh... sorry, you'll have to talk to Heidern or Seth about that. They were my COs."

 _"How are you and Terry?"_

"We're stronger than ever."

 _"Did your dog Anton behave during your stay in Milan?"_

"Ehhh, he did a lot of venturing around the city. But don't worry, he always made it back to our room safe and sound before bedtime."

 _"What are your thoughts on the tournament and how you did?"_

"I just... did okay. Not special, really. It was fun while it lasted, but I think that whole clone fiasco reminded me that people in my line of work seldom get to enjoy downtime. It's not an easy life."

 _"Are you happy working with a mercenary team, or do you prefer your solo days as a private eye?"_

"Oh this is much better, trust me. That 'I work alone' bullshit is for deluded romantics. I like being on a team, having my 6 covered by people as skilled and reliable as myself. I'll happily stay where I'm at."

 **13: BILLY KANE**

 _"How do you describe your place in the tournament?"_

"Well... I certainly don't rule the streets like I used to. Heh, back in the Geese days... now THOSE were the days, I tell ya. I didn't let nobody give me guff. Ah, but it just ain't like it was. I find myself drunk on nostalgia, wishin' for those simpler days, when I was top dog in the scrapyard, and the boss was standin' tall behind me. We were unstoppable, man. UN. STOPPABLE."

 _"Describe your feelings about Iori Yagami, and your fight with him."_

"That's one crazy bloke, right there. He's definitely a bit of a nutter, like somethin' ain't quite right up there. I personally don't give a hoot about his family drama, and all that bugger, I was just looking to dish out some pain for what he did to me back in KoF 95. I'd say we had a decent scrap. I came up short at the last minute, and it cost me dearly. But ya know? I honestly think I did enough, conkin' his head open the way I did. One would hope I knocked things back into place in that noggin of his, but that's just wishful thinking. Guy's a nutjob, no way around it."

 _"Are you aware that your boss Geese Howard plans to shed all Earthly burdens and live a zen life?"_

"Heh... hehehehehe... I had to pinch meself a few times when I heard that one. It's crazy to swallow, after all the years I've spent with him... boy, have I seen some shit. But hey, I'm his sworn man start to finish. If Geese wants to call it quits and say bugger all to the world, then I'll be right behind him."

 _"Do you think following Geese is the key to having a stable life for you and your sister Lilly?"_

"Look, Geese is a hard man. A hard, HARD man. You can't possibly imagine the time I've had to put in to get where I'm at today with him. I'm with Geese until the end, whether I like it or not. He'll take care of us. He always does."

 **14: MR. BIG**

 _"Does it bother you that you were eliminated near the very beginning of the tournament?"_

"Of course it bothers me! I was destined for greater things! This was finally my chance to rise above Geese and Krauser, the two bigwigs who I'm forever hopelessly cursed to linger behind."

 _"Did it surprise you that your own former subordinate, King, defeated you?"_

"K-King... "

 _"Can you answer the question, sir?"_

"Alright, alright! No, it doesn't surprise me. King was always... different... from the others. My boys were meatheads, chest-puffing bravados specifically bred for the ugly, gnarly life we lived. But King... King was a different breed. She wasn't a thug. She had a style to her, a... class. She was extremely passionate about martial arts. And she was easily the best fighter out of all of em'. And yeah, my guy Jack Turner may have got her one time, but if they had 20 fights in a row, that fatass would lose 19 of em."

 _"Do you feel like you didn't treat King as well as you should have back then?"_

"Oh, for the love of... King is a strong woman, okay? Yeah, me and the boys gave her a hard time back then, but she never took it sitting down. She was always right back in our faces, giving back what we dished out. She handled herself just fine and, look at her now! She turned out okay! So lay off me, will ya?"

 _"Do you hold a grudge towards King for turning on you back then?"_

"Why are you bugging me with all these King questions? Can't we talk about something else?!"

 _"No?"_

"Fine! Yes, I was bitter about it, but I honestly didn't blame her. I wouldn't have wanted to stay with a bunch of dick-swinging alpha douchebags either if I was a lone female just trying to make cash for my little bro. Just because I'm an asshole doesn't mean I'm incapable of empathy. So whatever, I don't care anymore. King's got her own life now. Good for her."

 _"Do you think you will ever emerge from Geese's shadow?"_

"...Just f*** off. I'm done with you."

 **15: HEAVY D**

 _"I am speaking to you on behalf of the whole USA Team."_

"Okay."

 _"What is your opinion on you guys' performance in the tournament? Do you feel like you wasted another huge opportunity?"_

"Well, at least we... THEY... got to fight. Lucky did alright, but was clearly outclassed by Bogard. Brian did the best out of all of us, advancing to Round 2 and giving that Shingo kid a run for his money. I guess he's the MVP. But as far as wasting the opportunity... I guess I'm the only one that feels that way. I got nothing out of this, as usual. Nada."

 _"In the official tournament rankings, you were ranked #80. Dead last. Does that bother you?"_

"I'd like to see you do better."

 _"Can you disclose the details of what went down between you and the figure calling itself Rugal Bernstein?"_

"I'd rather not. Breaking news... I'm a little salty about that."

 _"So in all, is this just another failed chapter for the USA Team?"_

"You don't have to put it so extreme!"

 **16: BENIMARU NIKAIDO**

 _"What did you get out of this tournament?"_

"Free publicity."

 _"What was your ambition going into this tournament? Are you satisfied with how you did?"_

"Let me give you a brief history lesson... I am the #1 most attractive man in the world. I'm also the #2 best fighter in Japan. That particular distinction right above me goes to Kyo Kusanagi, the face of King of Fighters for god knows how long. I've been on Kyo's team for years. YEARS. Together with Daimon, we unleashed hell and took home gold more often than not. But I could never fight this nagging feeling inside me... like HE was the one bringing home the bacon. Not me. I was always just the #2 guy. Second banana. I never stopped carrying that feeling, no matter how many teams I switched to."

 _"You felt like you needed to win this tournament to prove yourself?"_

"This solo tournament was the GOLDEN opportunity, because I had nobody helping me. Nobody else to take the credit. It was just me. ME. I was doing alright; I had no real problems making it to Round 3. But alas, I lost to the alien freakshow who ended up making it to the damned finals. But eh, at least Kyo and K' couldn't beat him either, so that made me feel a little better."

 _"You have won more King of Fighters than any other contestant. Do those victories feel genuine to you?"_

"Yes... and no. There's no debate that I did my part, and I've rightfully earned all the beautiful trophies sparkling on my shelf. But at the same time, I can't help but feel like... guh... Kyo's trophies shine brighter. K's trophies shine brighter. Elisabeth's trophy shines brighter. It's just one of those things people cope with, every morning when they wake up, every night when they close their eyes. But it's okay, I can live with it. At least I'm still sexy."

 **17: GORO DAIMON**

 _"Give me your thoughts about how you did in the tournament."_

"I had a glorious battle against Master Tung Fu Rue. Even at his old age, he is still an incredible fighter. And then... I came up pathetically short against Krauser. That was an eye-opener for me."

 _"Did losing to Wolfgang Krauser give you an epiphany of some sort?"_

"Truth be told, I've been feeling this way for a long time... like I don't have it in me anymore. I still live by Judo, and everything it represents, but... competition? I think I may be beyond that now. I have a family, and I don't wish to put them through seeing their husband and father take such horrible shots like the one I took against Krauser."

 _"Are you saying you're retiring from fighting?"_

"I'm seriously thinking about it. I will continue teaching Judo, of course. I can still make a great living from that. As far as hand-to-hand competitions... I'm probably done with that. If Kyo and Benimaru want me back, I'm sure I can train a disciple to take my place in the future. Or, they can just have Shingo."

 _"Do you feel satisfied with your career?"_

"Definitely. The Japan Team ruled King of Fighters for many years, and I still glow with pride thinking about those days. I'm grateful to have been a part of that history."

 **18: SHINGO YABUKI**

 _"I bet you had a good time."_

"I had a blast! WOOOOO! That was the most fun I've ever had in my life!"

 _"Are you satisfied with your progression in the tournament?"_

"Heck yes, I am! I made to Round 3! That's better than many of the fighters I look up to did. Andy Bogard, Robert Garcia... Daimon! This was a huge confidence boost for me. I feel like I can stand up with the best of em' now. Even Kyo!"

 _"That was my next question obviously... describe your wild fight with Kyo!"_

"Oh my god man... OH MY GOD. I was on FIRE! Not literally. Well... maybe literally. I think he did set me on fire near the very end, haha. B-but I'm talking FIGURATIVELY! I WAS ON FIRE! I went toe-to-toe with Kyo Kusanagi, the main man himself! I-I punched him, he punched me, I kicked him, he kicked me, it was just... WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! SORRY FOR MY VOLUME!"

 _"Hahaha, it's okay. I love seeing you so passionate. Your hype gives ME hype! Anyway... so are you disappointed that you lost to Kyo? Do you feel like you had him on the ropes?"_

"...Nah. I wasn't even close to beating Kyo, hehe. The fact of the matter is, he held back on me until the last blow of the fight. The way he blasted me at the very end, that told me all I needed to know. If he can blow me away with one move, then I have a LOT more training to do. I'm not disappointed one bit! If anything, this just fuels me more to get stronger and be the best I can be! I'll be on Kyo's level one day, just you wait!"

 _"So where do you go from here?"_

"NOWHERE BUT UP!"

 **19: VANESSA**

 _"What were you thinking when Terry Bogard dislocated your shoulder? Could you have seriously continued?"_

"Heh... heh heh. No way. I was close to crying from the pain. That whole tough guy performance I put on out there? It was a bluff. I was done."

 _"Do you think Terry would have forfeited to avoid harming you further?"_

"Terry... has a good heart. I know for a fact he would've. I could have been a grade-A bitch and preyed on that compassion, guilting Terry into calling it quits just so I could stay in... but I'm not that kind of woman. When a fighter can't continue, they can't continue. Mary may have popped my shoulder in later on, but by then... too late, Nate. It wouldn't have been fair of me to deprive Terry of his opportunity in that moment. I probably couldn't sleep with it."

 _"How are you recovering?"_

"Oh I'm fine now. Totally fine. My eye swelling even went down."

 _"Does it bug you that you lost as a result of a freak injury, easily fixed later on?"_

"Nah. Look, in a fight, these things happen. It's like I said: it may be right as rain after it's all said and done... but that MOMENT is all that matters. One of us was going to have to leave that ring still kicking. It sure as hell wasn't gonna be me. It sucks, but... whatever. Life goes on."

 _"If my memory serves correctly, you do have one King of Fighters trophy. In fact, you were the first woman in history to win one!"_

"Well, it helps when you have the right team captain. Thanks K'."

 **20: RAMON**

 _"You lost pretty quickly in Round 2. Does it bother you how easily you went down?"_

"Hey, I was at a disadvantage from the start, amigo. My specialty requires the use of ropes. There was not rope ONE in this tournament. Not even a nice cage wall or turnbuckle post I could spring off of, or anything. I pretty much had to rely on my striking, and hope to set up a takedown or submission with it. That kid with his high-tech mumbo jumbo was too much for me. He reminded me of Maxima in many ways, minus the being freakishly huge and capable of crushing a car with bare hands."

 _"You didn't seem very shaken up about it."_

"I'm not a sore loser. I'm a true sportsman, through and through. At the end of the day, I just like to have fun and throw a few back when it's over. I prefer wrestling over martial arts competitions anyway."

 _"Then why do you enter King of Fighters every year?"_

"Cause KoF is the scene! They want me every year anyway, so why wouldn't I join? It's still fun. And hell, maybe I can win another one in my lifetime."

 _"Do you credit your 2000 tournament victory to K'?"_

"Well, I helped."

 _"What is it about Vanessa that drives you so wild?"_

"She's a hot, mature, classy lady! Everything about her molds together so perfectly. In a different reality maybe... just maybe... but I work with the hand I'm dealt. She's a good partner when things get rough in the trenches. She watches my ass, I watch hers. And no, I don't mean that in a dirty way."

 _"Can you disclose any details about the NESTS/WAREZ Operation?"_

"What operation? There was no operation! I wasn't there! I don't exist!"

 **21: MAXIMA**

 _"You are one of the scariest men on the planet. Does it bother you that you lost in Round 1?"_

"Heh... I guess I was a bigger favorite on the betting odds than what I showed out there. That kid Yuki just had the right tools to shut me down."

 _"Do you feel like you could have made it much further, had Yuki not been your opponent?"_

"Absolutely. I know I could've done better than that. I'm sure K' is embarrassed just to look at me right now. I really let him down..."

 _"I struggle to wrap my head around how a guy like you could ever lose a physical contest. Your body-"_

"There's more to being a fighter than anatomical structure. Yes, I'm built superior to normal men... but that shouldn't define me as a fighter. A fighter's own fists and technique work hand-in-hand with the resources and augmentations at his disposal. That's how Yuki was able to beat me. It's not as simple as saying he gave me an electric shock; he utilized all of his tools and technique in conjunction to produce that outcome. That's a true fighter."

 _"K' is not a very pleasant person to be around. What is it about him that inspires such loyalty in you and Kula?"_

"Kula, I can't speak for. But I can tell you right now: me and K' have been through enough together for me to take a bullet for the guy. You just don't know him like I do."

 _"Can you enlighten me?"_

"I'd rather not."

 _"Lastly, I guess I'll ask... how long will you carry this sting of losing so quickly?"_

"There's always more tournaments. Besides, I'm grateful for the time I've already put in. Me and K' did have a pretty good run of it for a few years, so I've already left my mark on history. Nobody can take those victories away from me, so at the end of the day... I can live with this. My primary focus is helping K' cope with his defeat."

 _"Mr. Maxima, you are the truest wingman I will ever know."_

"Thank you."

 **22: KULA DIAMOND**

 _"I gotta say, Miss Kula, you surprised me the most. You possessed the tools to win this tournament more than anyone."_

"That's sweet of you to say! Thank you~"

 _"Do you feel like you could have won the tournament, had you defeated Kyo Kusanagi in Round 1?"_

"Welllll... my chances would've been pretty sweet! Tee hee~"

 _"Give me your thoughts on the fight with Kyo."_

"Mr. Kyo was so determined! I thought I could shut down his fire abilities, but... he's a Sacred Treasure for a reason. The Kusanagi fire is a power so pure, so formidable... it just burned bright and true even in my thickest blizzard. I-I guess that means... I'm technically a failure... hahahahaha..."

 _"Did you have fun, though?"_

"Oh yes! I had such a good time in Italy!"

 _"Describe the extent of your relationship with K'."_

"O-oh! Uhhhh... ehehe...well, I was created to kill K'. But now... I think I'm... ah... sorry! No more, please. I'm turning so red!"

 _"Do you feel like you and Maxima are the only two people on the planet who can put up with K'?"_

"No! His sister Seirah can too~"

 _"Does it disappoint you that you and Maxima lost so early, while K' went on to have great success and advance to the semifinals?"_

"W-well yeah... I kinda felt left out. But, some ice cream cured that right up~"

 _"Lastly, I'd just like to know what's next for you."_

"I'll just go back to being a normal girl. Diana, Foxy and Candy will take care of me. And maybe, if I'm a good girl, they'll let me go on some adventures with K' and Maxima. I don't want them to ever leave me behind!"

 **23: RALF JONES**

 _"The OG Ikari Warriors reunited! This is a dream come true!"_

"Eh? What are you, a reporter? Guh, can't you see I have an injured man here, you vulture?"

"Dude, it's okay. This is good, actually. We should let the public know I'm fine."

"Are you sure, man? If you're not up for it..."

"Trust me, dude. I'm fine. My body feels like it's been sliced in two... but I'm fine."

 _"Great! Can I talk to Ralf first? Mr. Still, if you'll be silent, I'll get to you in a second."_

"Uh... okay. Here I am."

 _"I saw you fight your heart out in Round 1... and I saw a broken man in the following one. Did seeing your partner so brutally bisected crush your will to fight?"_

"...This is embarrassing. Clark is right here, man! Gaaaaah, alright fine! Yes. The answer is yes. Seeing Clark go down like that... it destroyed me. I mean, how was I supposed to focus on a silly competition when C-Clark... Clark was in intensive care? I... this man is my brother. We've seen and done... unspeakable things... in the name of duty, of just survival. We're bound together by a thick, crusty later of blood, guts, mud, bullet casings, Willy Pete. Nothing will ever break that. So yeah; if something happens to Clark, it affects me too."

 _"Can you disclose any details of the NESTS/WAREZ Operation?"_

"How do you... that's classified, man! Maybe we should take you into custody for questioning. Nobody should be aware that even exists!"

 _"Well, you just admitted it does exist."_

"DAMMIT! Clark, talk to this fool before I cap him."

 **24: CLARK STILL**

 _"My first question MUST be... are you okay?"_

"I'm in a lot of pain. Not the worst I've ever felt, though. If you'd believe it, I have been closer to death than this."

 _"Did you have any idea that your opponent was an artificial replica of Rugal Bernstein?"_

"Not a clue. Urgh... sorry. It's flaring up."

 _"Would seeing Ralf in a similar situation affect you the same way, were you in opposite shoes?"_

"Absolutely. I'm not myself when Ralf goes down, man. My focus is off, my combat efficiency severely diminished. I probably can't live without this guy. We're pretty much symbiotic."

 _"What can drive two men to forge such a close bond?"_

"That's life on the battlefield, my ignorant friend. The man to your right or left is the man you come to depend upon for your life. Luckily, Ralf was at my 9 when I picked up my first rifle for basic training."

 _"In the official tournament rankings, you were ranked #78. Does that bother you?"_

"At least I did better than D. He never made it to the ring."

 _"Can you disclose any details on the-"_

"You know, I really hope you ask Heidern that. I'd love to see what he does to you."

 **25: WHIP**

 _"You uh... didn't do so hot in this tournament. Can you share your feelings on your fight with Joe Higashi?"_

"I had Joe in a lot of trouble; I must have been SECONDS away from victory. But he proved what a veteran he is, turning the tables and putting me out. He truly is the model of a martial arts competitor."

 _"You've been slower to heal than most of the others. Why is that?"_

"Joe hurt me very badly. It may look like your run-of-the-mill shots... but that guy's Muay Thai is incomparable. I'm going to be feeling it for a few weeks. I may even have to request leave."

 _"What is the nature of your relationship with K'?"_

"Look, that's a little... personal..."

 _"Forgive me. If it's too sensitive, you don't have to answer."_

"I will say this: K' is a very special person to me. He's my family. And I... am his. Regardless of circumstances."

 **26: BONNE JENET**

 _"You were one of the more, uh... lively... contestants this week."_

"If by that you mean I know how to have a good time, then you are correct~"

 _"Describe your feelings about the tournament."_

"I may have lost in Round 1, but this was an incredibly rewarding experience, an enrichment on my life that will last as long as I live. You see, I received a pirate's BLESSING. And not just any pirate: the greatest pirate in history. You can't imagine what that means to me."

 _"Is that what drove you to try and steal the 2 million dollar prize money?"_

"...You know about that? Weird. Chizuru must have loose lips. Or that Malin bitch. Well, since it's all out there, yes."

 _"Can you describe how the heist went?"_

"Oh, Chizuru just kicked our asses. Nuff said."

 _"Do you have any regrets or disappointments about this week?"_

"Not really. I had a pretty great time. I wish I had succeeded in stealing the prize money, obviously."

 _"Which of your teammates do you find more attractive: Gato or Tizoc?"_

"Oh that's a tough one. Gato's got this rugged, brooding handsomeness that I just go WILD for. Tizoc has a much more amazing body, but I have no idea what his face looks like! But easy answer: I'd do em both. At the same time~"

 **27: RYUJI YAMAZAKI**

 _"I was very disappointed to see you lose. You're such an entertaining fighter to watch. How are you healing up?"_

"Well, I got rubbed down with more ointment than a group of kids getting their chickenpox out of the way early. It doesn't hurt so bad now. My skin is expected to make a full recovery."

 _"Do you feel that you could have won the tournament if Iori Yagami wasn't your opponent?"_

"I don't wanna focus on all this woulda coulda shoulda crap. That red-haired punk annihilated me. Hehehehehe. There was no chance of me stopping THAT."

 _"What made Iori such a different opponent from Yuri and Sinclair?"_

"Well, it's simple: that guy doesn't use his brain. I was able to squash my opponents by getting under their skin, making them lose their cool. But Iori... he never had that to begin with. He's born with his light switch facing upwards. He's 100% unfiltered, unbound aggression. When that guy charges forward... he's a f***ing shark. He smells blood, those eyes go blank, and he's not stopping until you're ripped apart from skin cell to muscle tissue. Heh heh. Hehehehehe. It's admirable, what a simple... effective machine Iori Yagami is."

 _"You don't seem that bitter about losing, or the beatdown Iori gave you."_

"If you expect me to be sore about losing some dumb competition, don't. I'm a self-employed man, and I ENJOY my work, so really... I never work a day! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! As for Iori, well... I had it coming. I did open my big mouth about some touchy subjects, hehehehehehehehe..."

 _"Can we talk about the Hakkeshu? About Orochi? How do these things affect you?"_

"They don't. The Hakkeshu is dumb, Orochi's just a cheap thrill, and I really only brought it up because teasing Iori sounded like fun at the time. And it WAS fun! Did you see how angry he got?! HA! Priceless."

 _"I notice you hanging around a lot with Geese lately. Are you in his employ?"_

"Tch, no. I'm not Geese's lapdog. Geese just happens to value and appreciate my company."

 _"Are you insane?"_

"You tell me."

 **28: SETH**

 _"How did it feel to be defeated by Blue Mary, a woman who frequently serves under your command on special assignments?"_

"Well, it just goes to show the honesty and purity of the fighting ring. Ranks and affiliations don't exist there: just two men or women on equal terms, with only their strength and skill to define them."

 _"Are you disappointed to have lost in the opening round?"_

"Yeah... but I didn't like my chances all that much in the first place. This tournament had some real freakshows; my wife was probably chewing the corners off the pillows watching me out there. For my health, it's probably for the best that Mary beat me when she did. That money sure would have been nice though... I could've retired and spent more time with my family."

 _"How long have you been working with Vanessa, Ramon, and Mary?"_

"Me and Vanessa go WAAAAAY back. We've worked together too many times to count over the years. Ramon and Mary are practically neophytes."

 _"Can you disclose any details on the NESTS/WAREZ Operation?"_

"How do you even know about... I'm sorry, but that's classified. I'm sure Heidern will tell you the same thing."

 _"Are you still investigating Ron?"_

"That too."

 **29: SIE KENSOU**

 _"You had an amazing fight with Wolfgang Krauser. Please give me your thoughts."_

"Oh man... I dunno what came over me. But I saw Athena in the stands, watching me, and I just wanted to show out, and I... did that. Ha."

 _"That massive power you summoned... was that Psycho Power? Dragon Spirit?"_

"I dunno. Let's just call it Love Power."

 _"What did Athena think of your courage after the battle was over?"_

"Well she... ehehehehehehehehe... she liked it very much. VERY... much."

 _"Have you two gotten any closer? Has she reciprocated your romantic feelings for her?"_

"She did, for a little while... but once the high wore off, we pretty much went back to normal. It sucks, but I'm still happy."

 _"Do you see yourself seeking revenge against Ash Crimson for anything he might have done to her?"_

"That guy better not ever come within eyeshot of Athena again."

 **30: YUKI**

 _"Congratulations on making the quarterfinals. You did extremely well."_

"Thanks, dude. That means a lot, considering it was my first King of Fighters."

 _"How confident were you going into your fight with K'? Did he surprise you?"_

"I was confident... sigh... but I have to admit, Ai not being there affected me a little. I had her on my mind the whole time, worrying about her while she was off on- AN ERRAND! And I guess that's what did me in. I just didn't have my head in the game, and K' demolished me."

 _"Do you know anything about the-"_

"NO I DON'T!"

 _"It seems like you share a similar bond with Ai like Ralf and Clark. Is she your other half, which you can't function properly without?"_

"Definitely. I haven't known Ai my whole life or anything, but... the first time I ever partnered up with that girl, I knew she completed me. I can't imagine life without Ai. Hopefully, she feels the same way about me."

 **31: AI**

 _"Miss Ai? Do you have a minute?"_

"Just gimme a... almost... cmon! Do the... stupid... SUPER!"

 _"Miss Ai, I would really like to interview you."_

"GAH! DAMN IT ALL! Alright, alright, I'm done. Let's hear it."

 _"If the winner of the tournament, Ash Crimson, wasn't your first opponent, do you feel you could have gotten further?"_

"Ehhhh maybe. I guess the fact that I lost to the winner makes a very strong case."

 _"Did you have fun at least?"_

"Oh yes yes yes! Lots of fun! I was mostly there to give Yuki hype. He's the one that did awesome, not me~"

 _"Do you feel that Yuki is a better fighter than you?"_

"Well... in terms of competition, yes. But don't take that as the same standard for secret agent work! I pull my weight in the field, same as him! We're equals!"

 _"Yuki said that you were his other half, and that without you, he couldn't function properly. Do you feel the same way about him?"_

"Oh my god Yuki...! Ahh I'm blushing~! Y-yes, that's the truth. Ever since I partnered up with Yuki, we... well, we just clicked. I think we're soulmates."

 _"Do you feel guilt over leaving Yuki by himself while you went on a secret mission? Do you think that might have messed with his head at all?"_

"Wha... what?! Secret mission? How do you..."

 _"Speaking of which, can you disclose any details on the-"_

"LALALALALALALA NOT LISTENING!"

 _"Fine! Uhhh... how often do you play videogames? How do you maintain perfect eyesight?"_

"All the freaking time and I eat my vegetables."

 _"You met Haohmaru, a favorite samurai who also stars in a game series. Were you swooning over him?"_

"I... w-well... maybe a little. But it was just innocent fangirling! I will always love my partner!"

 **32: SHEN WOO**

 _"Were you shocked to lose in the opening round?"_

"Yes I was! I follow a simple, effective template for fighting my opponents: I put my fist through their f***ing face. But that Athena girl and her hocus pocus somehow managed to avoid every single one of my punches. And for the record, just one of those woulda put her to beddy byes."

 _"Were you disappointed to see all of your friends and acquaintances make it past Round 1, while you lost in pathetic fashion?"_

"Dude... not cool."

 _"A lot of people seem to dislike Ash Crimson, yet you show an unwavering loyalty to him. Why?"_

"Ah cmon, Ash ain't that bad. I like him. He's a fun guy to be around, and I enjoyed being on his team in King of Fighters. I don't have a better answer for you, I just like him!"

 _"So what's next for you?"_

"If I'm not fightin, I'm not livin. I'll be waiting for the next King of Fighters, and you can bet I'll sign right back up. And believe me, I'm gonna have some HELL to unleash, considering I didn't get to land a single friggin punch in this whole damn competition."

 **33: DUO LON**

 _"You did pretty well. For a while there, you were unstoppable. I seriously gave you a good chance of scoring your second King of Fighters victory."_

"I'm grateful for your belief in me."

 _"You had a glorious victory against Kim Kaphwan. Were you aware that he had already fought twice prior to your bout? Do you feel that he might have given you a hard time if he were healthier?"_

"I did notice him already injured, on the morning before the Opening Round. As for your second question... that is not for me to say. Kim is the greatest Tae Kwon Do master this world has to offer, and he reflected that in his fierce fighting spirit. I won't belittle his performance or my victory with excuses."

 _"You defeated another notable opponent: your own master Lin, who taught you the Hizoku arts. Give me your thoughts on Lin."_

"My master was as strong and shrewd as ever. I said something that... I regretted. I questioned his loyalty to the Hizoku, and that was wrong of me. Master Lin has not wavered in the slightest. I looked into his eyes... and I still saw the man who taught me, and my brothers and sisters, with all the passion in his heart."

 _"Did you and Lin part on good terms?"_

"Yes. I don't know what's next for him, or if I'll ever see him again, so I'm thankful we had that moment."

 _"What is next for you? Do you feel that you still have unfinished business with Ron, your father?"_

"...You are a bold one. TOO bold. Very well then. I will always have that lack of closure inside me, until the day I see Ron's traitorous corpse feasted upon by worms. But what I WON'T do, is let that deter me from living my life."

 _"A lot of people dislike Ash Crimson, but you have a strong loyalty to him. What is it about him that compels this?"_

"Ash's charisma is not to be underestimated. There's something about that kid that...draws people in. I don't exactly understand how it nurtured, but I find comfort in his company where others do not."

 _"Whose team did you like being on more: Ash's or Elisabeth's?"_

"I achieved victory in King of Fighters with Madame Blanctorche, so she holds a special place in my heart. I feel that Ash is a more powerful ally, however."

 **34: ADELHEID BERNSTEIN**

 _"I'm glad I caught you while you were on the ground!"_

"Lucky you."

 _"So uhh... give me your thoughts on the tournament?"_

"I didn't come here to compete, first and foremost. If I had it my way, my sister and I would have stayed far away from King of Fighters. This is a tainted, corrupt fighting competition, fueled by greed, narcissistic ideology, and madness."

 _"But you and your sister have hosted King of Fighters competitions before."_

"I was naive. My only concern was with fighting an honorable battle against the strongest warriors, to prove myself worthy of carrying on my father's name. I ventured too deep, and got tangled in the dark, virulent web this competition weaves."

"Oh brother, don't say that. You love competing in King of Fighters~"

"Quiet, Rose. I would put protecting you over my love for fighting any day."

 _"Give me your thoughts on your father, Rugal. How did you feel when you saw someone had created a clone of him?"_

"I don't wish to talk about my father. But what I WILL say, is that killing that abomination created in his image was my only purpose for coming here to Italy. I failed to accomplish that mission personally, but the final outcome was still favorable. That thing is dead, and no more will be made."

 _"Can you disclose any details on the NESTS/WAREZ operation?"_

"I don't know what you're talking about."

 _"What are your thoughts on Botan, the woman who controlled your sister and forced her to host King of Fighters XI and XIII? Are you seeking revenge on her?"_

"You're treading very recklessly. Come, Rose. Let's head back home."

"Coming, brother~"

 **35: WOLFGANG KRAUSER**

 _"Mr. Krauser... so, give me your thoughts on-"_

"I WILL tell you my thoughts. I should have won this competition! I was the rightful winner of the fight against that Asamiya girl. She fought dishonorably! Her victory is tainted!"

 _"So you believe you would have won the tournament if Athena didn't uh... pull that ex machina on you?"_

"That is exactly what I'm saying. Gah... a pox on this week, and this tournament. Makes me sick to think about."

 _"Do you feel like you brought honor back to the name Stronheim?"_

"I have never felt more DIShonored! This simply will not do. I am not going to return to Germany with my head held high. I will train with humility, keep my fury hot, and enter King of Fighters the next time. And this time... I WILL win. I'll bet my life on it! Or... maybe Laurence's life."

 _"Do you have any regrets this week? Perhaps an opponent you never got to face?"_

"My plan was to face my whelp of a brother again, and when I stepped over his broken body, I would rematch Terry Bogard in the finals. When Geese and Terry were matched up, I was content to be able to at least face ONE of them. But then, all of that nonsense happened..."

 _"Are you bitter towards Athena for what she did?"_

"YES! I hate her, and her disgusting music."

 **36: ATHENA ASAMIYA**

 _"So... Krauser's pretty mad at you."_

"Oh...dear. H-he's a very big guy. Stupid Athena, stupid..."

 _"Describe your thoughts on your victory over Krauser, and what it meant to you."_

"Sigh... it wasn't for the right reasons. I was motivated by vanity and pride. I wanted to be a big hero, to "save the day" and bring glory to the Psycho Soldiers... but all of it really amounted to nothing."

 _"It sounds like you wish Krauser had beaten you."_

"...I do. I really do."

 _"But doesn't it thrill you that you made it to the final 10 in a tournament of 80?"_

"It WOULD'VE... if the circumstances were different."

 _"What are your feelings on Ash Crimson, and what he tried to do to you? Do you hold a grudge?"_

"Ash was... just lost. He was troubled, confused... in a dark place. I don't hold a grudge over him, because I understand that a person can have some demons that REALLY mess with their head. At the end of the day, let's just chalk it up to a personal struggle, and be grateful that Ash was able to overcome the darkness within himself."

 _"What's next for you? You've never missed a King of Fighters, but you've never won gold. Will you keep trying?"_

"Oh definitely. This tournament may have ended on a sour note for me, but there's always more in the future. I'm still young, and full of energy! I'm gonna keep fighting, keep delivering justice, and keep singing too~!"

 _"How long will you carry remorse for pulling an ex machina on Krauser?"_

"Eh, I'll be over it by the time I'm back in Japan. My life's too hectic to be carrying unnecessary baggage."

 **37: HEIDERN**

 _"I've been waiting to talk to you for a while, sir. May I have a moment of your time?"_

"Yes. A moment."

 _"You went through quite a bit, this week. How do you feel?"_

"The same way I feel my whole life: tired."

 _"You dropped out of the tournament, despite winning your first fight. Do you regret this decision?"_

"This tournament was a harsh reminder for me: men in my line of work don't get to enjoy the luxury of being off-duty. There will always be battles to fight, threats to neutralize. I WILL admit, though... I did enjoy getting to compete for that little bit, and defeating my opponent did spark a tinge of thrill inside me."

 _"Your man Clark Still was nearly killed by a clone of Rugal Bernstein, your sworn nemesis. What were you feeling at that moment?"_

"I haven't felt a rage so pure since the day my family died in front of me."

 _"How far were you willing to go to seek revenge against the Rugal clone?"_

"...I would have given my life if it meant I could take him with me. I knew it was a one-way trip, and I didn't care."

 _"What stopped you?"_

"...A few things, thank god. Chizuru talked me down for one thing. That's a good woman. And secondly... I remembered all the things I still had to live for, all the people still depending on me. My men, my daughter. I can't just die and leave them without guidance. Those people are my family. Without them, I... I have nothing. They feel the same way about me. Therefore, giving my life for something as stupid and reckless as revenge would be a selfish act on my part."

 _"Lastly... can you disclose any details on the NESTS/WAREZ operation?"_

"...Listen up and listen good. I don't know how you know about that. Obviously you're skilled at your job of sticking your nose in things. But I'm giving you ONE warning: treading too deep can get that nose cut off. The NESTS/WAREZ operation is classified, and is not up for discussion or mention. I suggest you edit this interview, and any other instances in which you may have asked my men the same question. If not... WE WILL FIND YOU."

 **38: ELISABETH BLANCTORCHE**

 _"You're a hard woman to read, Madame Blanctorche. What are you feeling... about EVERYTHING?"_

"...How am I supposed to answer that question? Be more specific."

 _"Okay... give me your thoughts on your tournament performance."_

"I could have done better. This week got off to a very bad start for me, and it only escalated throughout. Ash... has that effect on me."

 _"Are you saying Ash Crimson threw you off your game?"_

"I'm saying he sucked most of the joy out of this week for me, by being his usual insufferable self. I didn't even get to focus on the competition because he was constantly on my mind."

 _"Are you bitter towards Ash for this?"_

"I... I was..."

 _"Can you tell me your current feelings about Ash?"_

"That... that's complicated. Ash is... he'll always be... a very complicated person in my life. I've loved him. I've hated him. We lived such a wonderful, carefree life back then... but it all became clouded after he left me. Ever since that time, things have never really come together properly between us. There's always been an awkward line that we stand on opposite sides of. But, after this week... I feel like we may be seeing a breakthrough..."

 _"Do you have hope for the future that you and Ash can work?"_

"It's hard to feel hope. Ash has... he's really done a number on me over the years. But, in the past couple of days, I've seen something in him... like the Ash of old. I think he's finally coming back around. I think maybe he feels remorse, and wants to make up for all the lost time. The truth is... it's going to HAVE to work. My fate and Ash's fate will always be entwined. And I... I will always love him."

 _"Do you feel an obligation to keep Ash in line, like a guardian or handler?"_

"Absolutely. It's going to be like that as long as we live."

 _"Do you regret this?"_

"No. Being at Ash's side is what I want most in this world."

 _"How can you still care for Ash after all he's done?"_

"Because I just do. Leave it alone."

 **39: LEONA HEIDERN**

 _"You were well on your way to winning this tournament. Did you feel that way?"_

"I guess."

 _"F-forgive me if this is too sensitive, but... can you describe the fight with-"_

"No. Don't bring it up. I'm warning you."

 _"O-okay... sorry. Ummmm... did you have fun?"_

"It was fun for a little while."

 _"What's the deal with you and Iori Yagami? You two seem close."_

"It's simple human nature for two people with similar idiosyncrasies to attract. It's easy for the two of them to look to each other for understanding and comfort, because they are unique from the rest of the world, therefore nobody else can provide that same blanket. I'm attracted to Iori because we're the same. There will never be anyone else like us."

 _"Are you in love with him?"_

"I'm not sure. It just feels good to be around him."

 _"Well... uhh... I was hoping this interview would be longer, since you made it so far in the tournament. But... umm... I got nothing."_

"Good. I don't like talking anyway."

 **40: IORI YAGAMI**

 _"Mr. Yagami... please don't kill me."_

"Don't give me a reason to."

 _"How would you describe this week?"_

"Shitty."

 _"Okay... umm... describe your thoughts on the tournament. You made it to the final 5!"_

"I slogged through so many opponents I didn't want, all for two things: to get revenge on that foppish moron, and then face Kyo in the finals. Neither of those things happened, therefore I say f*** this week and everything about it."

 _"Doesn't it please you that you made the final 5?"_

"It doesn't mean f*** all if I didn't accomplish the thing I set out to do!"

 _"Speaking of your fight with Ash... are you aware that you entered the Riot of the Blood and nearly destroyed the Coliseum?"_

"Oops."

 _"Will you always carry a grudge against Ash for the time he stole the Yasakani Jewel?"_

"Yeah, that f***ing punk still has to answer for that. And it's not just THAT: he attacked Chizuru and stole the Yata Mirror too. Where's HER justice?"

 _"Chizuru seems to have forgiven Ash for that."_

"Well, I don't f***ing care. Chizuru's too soft and dainty to pay back something in blood, but I'm not. I'll just have to get enough revenge for both of us."

 _"Does this mean your revenge journey is not over?"_

"That's exactly what it means. And now we can add avenging a loss to the list of reasons he needs to f***ing die."

 _"So... what else happened to you this week?"_

"Hmm... well, I was walking back to my hotel one night, and I got attacked by the village bicycles, Mature and Vice. They SERIOUSLY tried to kill me. And then they tried to deny it later on, but I'm not biting. Those bitches tried to kill me!"

 _"Well, you killed them."_

"...Touche, I guess."

 _"You and Leona seem awfully close. Are you in love with her?"_

"I dunno. I don't hate her, which speaks volumes."

 _"Which do you regret more: losing to Ash, or not getting to face Kyo?"_

"Hey, shit is shit. It all smells bad."

 _"So, you just didn't get anything from this week? At all?"_

"No I didn't. Now piss off! You're making me angry by reminding me!"

 **41: K' DASH**

 _"I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to answer some questions. You're not the most... approachable guy."_

"Just make it quick, while I'm feeling generous."

 _"Okay, so... first of all, I thought that fight with Kyo was amazing. I seriously thought you had him when the glove came off."_

"I know. I was there. Next."

 _"What did fighting Kyo mean for you?"_

"Self-validation."

 _"Do you still feel like you need to beat Kyo to affirm your place and purpose in existence?"_

"Nah, I'm good now. There's just one thing I have left to do..."

 _"What's that?"_

"Don't worry about it."

 _"How did it feel to see your teammates Maxima and Kula fall in Round 1?"_

"Well, Maxima's definitely going to get shit for that one. As for Kula, well... she was f***ed when her opponent was Kyo."

 _"Did you not believe Kula could win?"_

"Well, I did, but... you wanna hear something f***ed up? I haven't even told Kula this... but a deep, nasty part of me was glad she lost. I felt bad, of course, but her losing meant I was able to finally get the fight with Kyo I needed. So, in a way... I owe Kula big-time for losing."

 _"Do you love Kula Diamond?"_

"None of your business."

 _"Did anything strange happen to you this week?"_

"Hmmmm, well... I got attacked by a zombie Krizalid. He's another one of those NESTS projects, like me. He's long dead. That's not what bothered me, though. What really bothered me was... wait."

 _"Hmmm?"_

"...Heh. Sorry, this interview is over."

 _"W-wha...?"_

"Remember when I said I had one thing left to do? Well, he's standing about 20 yards behind you. I suggest you get out of here if you value your life."

 _"AHH! BYE!"_

 **42: KYO KUSANAGI**

 _ **"**_ _Well, Mr. Kusagani... you were close to doing what you've done so many times in the past. Give me your feelings on the final outcome."_

"Heh, well I can't be too shaken up about it, can I? I mean, it would've been nice to win another one, especially with it back to singles format, but hey... 4 out of 80 ain't bad."

 _"Actually, in the official tournament rankings, you were ranked #3. and K' was #4."_

"What the hell? Huh. I guess because he went down for good before I did. You didn't tell K' that, right? This meant more to him than you understand."

 _"No, I didn't. Speaking of which, describe your fight with K'."_

"That kid is the finest warrior I've ever faced. His fight IQ, the way he utilizes his reach, feathery footwork, gives the illusion of lazy, half-assed strikes and then shocks you with brutal, explosive power. And his patience... he chills you with a frigid gaze that saps you before the first strike is even thrown. That kid is the real deal. That fight couldn't have gone different."

 _"Do you feel that is K's true strength, or is it a result of NESTS-"_

"Stop right there. I can answer that quickly: that kid has REAL power. You can't just give somebody what he has. He may have been a canvas, but the tools were placed in his hands, for him to make something tangible of it. And he did. So don't ever, for a second, try to discredit K' Dash. Cause if you do, I'll sweep up what's left after he's done with you, and give you a double helping."

 _"How were you feeling going into that fight with Dio? Did you think you had a chance?"_

"Maaaan... if I were fresh, yes. But after going through an absolute WAR just 30 minutes earlier... a man's gotta rest sometime, ya know? The only reason I stood up to him was because K' was at my side, and I wanted that freakshow gone."

 _"Describe your feelings on Ash Crimson. How do you feel about him winning?"_

"Tch... well, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. I don't like the kid, nor do I trust him. I don't want anything to do with him, and I'd prefer if he stayed away from Chizuru and Yagami as well. That being said... I will give credit where credit is due. He did well against that monster who wrecked the Coliseum. He probably saved us from a gruesome fate. I'll give him kudos for that. So, congrats to Ash I guess. It does warm my heart a little to see someone new claim King of Fighters gold. Hopefully he'll be content now."

 _"Are you concerned that Ash may come after you someday?"_

"He barely paid me attention this week. So no."

 _"Let's change the subject for a moment. For a little while, it seemed like you were in a dark place. You vowed that you were going to turn your back on the world, and not be there to step up when things get hairy. Do you still feel this way?"_

"Man... what an idiot I must've sounded like. I dunno, seeing Rugal do that to Clark just... it pissed me off so bad. I wanted this King of Fighters to just... work. I wanted no problems, no bullshit, no fighting for my life. It seems like bullshit just can't stay AWAY from the greatest martial arts competition in history. And, I dunno... it messed with my head. I was spouting a lot of nonsense that I regret now that it's all over. I was just angry. Angry people always regret what they say after cooling off. It's a fact of life."

 _"So does this mean you haven't given up on the world?"_

"Nah, I'll still be there. I won't be happy about it... but I never am."

 _"Did anything strange happen to you this week, involving clones?"_

"Besides the Rugal thing? Well... I was ambushed at night by Yashiro, Shermie, and Chris. Those and Rugal were related, it would seem. But whatever, that situation got handled. I just went my ass to bed and stopped worrying about it."

 _"Do you have any unfinished business after this week? Possibly against Iori Yagami?"_

"Ha ha ha ha... trust me, man. There will be other times and places."

 _"You've won a whole lot of King of Fighters gold. You're perhaps the most influential figure in the tournament's history. When does it end?"_

"When I'm dead. Look at it this way: my dad can still hang with the best of em, so I've got a long way to go before I start declining."

 _"How come your father, Saisyu, never came to Italy? Did he not express interest in the tournament?"_

"Ah, he threw out his back training. He never would've made the trip. My girlfriend has been taking care of him, though."

 _"How close were you to losing to Kula Diamond?"_

"Oh, that ice girl... she's something else. Did you know she was created to destroy fire-types? She came pretty damn close to dousing me! By far the hardest fight of this week, besides K' of course."

 _"So you think K' gave you a harder time than Kula?"_

"You know... honestly, I would rank them dead even, IF not for the fact that I beat Kula and tied with K'."

 _"Give me your thoughts on Shingo Yabuki."_

"Oh man, he really stepped it up! I saw greatness in that kid. GREATNESS. If KoF ever goes back to team format, I WANT HIM."

 _"You already have two teammates, Benimaru and Goro."_

"Yeah, well Daimon's not really on the competitive scene that much anymore. He cares more for his family nowadays. The only reason he came to Italy is because it was too big to sit out. I have a feeling he might not join us for the next tourney, which would free up Shingo to be our third man."

 _"If you had to choose between Goro Daimon and Shingo, who would you pick?"_

"Awww man... well, seniority would demand I pick Goro. Me, him and Beni were the OGs, ya know? That's not a bond easily broken. If that were ever the case, hopefully Shingo could land himself on a team. Hell, he could LEAD his own team! Team Shingo... sounds like a rival in the making."

 _"Lastly... would you care to share your favorite King of Fighters memory?"_

"...You know, now that I think about it, I don't have any favorites. I always have a shit time."

 **43: ASH CRIMSON**

 _"The champion himself... it's an honor to speak with you, Ash."_

"As it should be~"

 _"You fought through absolute hell to claim gold. Tell me, what was your hardest fight?"_

"Mm... the rampaging buffoon called Iori Yagami. Despite my always-cool exterior, I was quite literally quaking in my shoes when I fought him. I may have even peed myself a little, between you and moi."

 _"You fought some other interesting opponents... such as your longtime childhood companion, Elisabeth. Tell me, what was going through your mind when you struck her down?"_

"Hmph... you're trying to crack me, aren't you? How ruthless of you. Fighting Betty... was not a pleasant feeling for me. That was the first step, I think, to what ended up... changing me."

 _"What do you mean? Describe your thoughts on Elisabeth."_

"Betty is... my light. For as long as I can remember, she's been there to watch over me. Even after I got older, and I started my unholy mission... she never gave up on me. I credit Betty for rescuing me from the darkness that plagued my soul. It was her. It was all HER. Without Betty, I... I can't..."

 _"Are you okay?"_

"Never better~!"

 _"What were you planning on doing to Athena Asamiya? You hesitated at the very end; is that the moment you felt yourself returning to sanity?"_

"My plan was to defeat Athena and harvest her Psycho Power. And... yes. Thank Betty's scary stink face for that save."

 _"Looking back now, do you regret what you were about to do?"_

"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. But now, it all just sounds yucky. So, I guess the answer is yes~"

 _"How worried were you to be facing Dio, a creature of ultimate might that obliterated the Coliseum?"_

"Hmmm... not that worried. I was a little on edge, since he was SERIOUSLY trying to kill me, and he did make some vague implications that he was going to wipe out all life on Earth. That was a little worrisome."

 _"Do you consider yourself a hero for defeating Dio? Do you consider what you did as saving the world?"_

"Well, he was definitely homicidal, and I crushed him. So put two and two together."

 _"You looked ready to kill Dio, but at the last moment, you gave him mercy. Why?"_

"Because the path to being a good little boy doesn't include murder. I've killed one person, and that's enough. I don't want to get my hands dirty... and especially my fingernails."

 _"How do you live your life being such a... controversial figure? Are you aware of how many haters you make?"_

"Ahahahahahahaha! Oh, that's just the burden of greatness. They're just jealous that I play a much bigger role in things than them."

 _"You have a lot of enemies, but you also have a loyal band of friends. Describe your feelings on them."_

"Well, dear ol' Betty is the love of my life. Monsieur Lon is so cool, and so HANDSOME, you just don't even know. Everything he does has such a sexiness to it! And then there's Shenny. He's very loud and obnoxious, but he's always such a fun guy. And then there's Ozzy, who... well... he's a little strange. But don't get me wrong, I love him to death as well. They're my precious posse, and I am very grateful for them. I don't want to meet the person who wishes to go through life without any friends, any companions. That's just not human nature."

 _"Changing the subject real quick... what are you going to do with the money?"_

"Heh heh... you'd like to know? Sorry, but I'd rather keep it a secret~"

 _"Do you feel like you need to redeem yourself for all the... questionable things you've done?"_

"The only person I need to repent for is Betty. The woman slaves and suffers for me, and I did nothing to ease her mind in return. I swear I'm going to make things up to her and earn her trust back, even if it takes the rest of my life. Screw everyone else."

 _"If I may ask an intense question... how did you come back to Earth?"_

"Ohohohoho. You'd like that, wouldn't you? Ha. You know what? I'm feeling generous. Very well then. I'll tell you. After Saiki and myself were wiped from existence... I wasn't fully erased. I found myself awakening, with no physical self, naught but a lingering, luminous consciousness floating through an endless abyss. Time held no dominion there, nor did the laws of physics, or even reality itself. I don't know where this tempest came from, or how I came to be a part of it, but... it was so... negative. Just being there made me tired... made me want to quit, and cease to exist permanently. I'm also convinced I wasn't the only soul there; I could... I could feel other presences... crying out in futility, languishing in their forfeit lives. They were truly lost, pathetic husks with no purpose but to endlessly linger in limbo, in a twilight world with no life and no afterlife. Was this to be my permanent fate? Would I suffer in a fate worse than Hell, to wander aimlessly in oblivion, perpetually seeking hope and purpose only to forever have none? No... I refused to accept it. I beckoned my physical form back to me... yes, through sheer willpower I made it so. I stretched out into the inky black with scintillating fingers, to clasp something that was real, that was whole, and I made it MINE. I don't know what happened to Saiki; maybe what's left of him got absorbed into me. But the mental strain... I found myself begging for death numerous times, just to be relieved of the pain. Heh. But I didn't quit. I willed myself a physical form, to be granted the power to break free from the spectral chains that bound me. And when I opened my eyes again... I WAS FREE. I brought my lips upon the cold ground and coated them with the sand and clay, rejoicing in the second chance that I gave to myself. No, I didn't hope. I didn't pray. I demanded to come back, and I CAME BACK. It was all me."

 _"That's... amazing..."_

"Heh. Yes it is. Welp! All that exposition sure made me thirsty. Au revoir~"

 **44: GEESE HOWARD**

 _"Mr. Howard... it's an honor to talk to you, sir."_

"Thanks."

 _"So my first question must be... how did it feel to host King of Fighters again?"_

"Well I'm not gonna lie and say it felt like the good ol' days. This may have been the most insane one yet in the entire history of the contest. Heh... but that just made it all the more awesome to be a part of."

 _"How did you like hosting with Chizuru Kagura?"_

"Ah, she's a nice lady. She felt like the Yin to my Yang, hehehehe! Without her to keep my ass in line, who knows what would've happened! Ah but real talk: we made a decent pair. This tournament felt WAY too huge to handle solo, so I'm grateful she was there with me."

 _"Let's talk about you competing. Did you have any good, memorable battles?"_

"You saw it, didn't you? Hell yes I had a memorable battle. Robert Garcia was as good a scrap as I thought it would be. And then... Bogard..."

 _"Give me your thoughts on Terry Bogard."_

"The Bogards are... people that I've wronged. On a much deeper level than other people. They have every right to hate me, to wish death upon me. Terry Bogard deserves to kill me with his own two hands... but that's never going to happen now. That kid is a man now... and he's matured into a guy with compassion in his heart. He loves to fight, but desires peace and would never raise his fists with malice. He's a good kid. That's why we have to stay apart. He deserves to live his life without me tempting those old emotions back."

 _"Are you shocked that you beat Terry?"_

"...Yeah. I didn't think I was supposed to ever beat him. It feels wrong by cosmic standards."

 _"After beating Terry, did you feel like no other opponent could pose a threat to you?"_

"Absolutely. Terry Bogard is the strongest fighter there is. After getting past him, I thought I was in the clear. Man... that gold alien freak really did a number on me."

 _"Give me your thoughts on Dio."_

"I f***ing hate him!"

 _"Do you bear a grudge against him for wounding you? How about for destroying your Coliseum?"_

"You're asking a lot of dumb questions now, pal! And don't talk about my Coliseum! Shit...I was almost over that..."

 _"You and Chizuru had some issues to solve this week, such as a perfect clone of Rugal Bernstein infiltrating your tournament and critically wounding Clark Still. How did you come to the decision to pit him against Leona Heidern?"_

"We knew that thing was too powerful to be dealt with by normal means. It was my idea to call upon one of the Riot-bearers. Chizuru and I agreed that Iori was too dangerous, so... Leona was our only option."

 _"Do you regret that decision looking back?"_

"Uhhh... no. The problem got solved, nobody died."

 _"Don't you feel remorse for exploiting Leona like that?"_

"Hey, she was cool with it! That girl was seeking revenge anyway!"

 _"Did you have any... other problems this week worth mentioning?"_

"No."

 _"Then let's move on. So, you've made it known this week that this tournament was going to be your swan song. Win or lose, you were going to retire and leave behind all your Earthly troubles. What do you mean by this?"_

"It means I'm done. With EVERYTHING. I'm cutting my losses, and getting the hell out of here."

 _"If you were to pick a remote, isolated location to spend the rest of your life, where would that be?"_

"Hmmm... maybe the mountains of Tibet."

 _"How do you think leaving everything behind will affect other people affiliated with you?"_

"Well, Terry and friends won't mind it at all. Billy is my main concern... that guy's become far too attached to me. I'm afraid he might try to follow me, wherever I go. I dunno, hell, maybe I should just take him with me."

 _"What does Billy Kane mean to you?"_

"I have never, in my long, f***ed up life, met a guy more dependable than him. Sometimes, I wonder if I could find my own head without his help."

 _"Before you... leave everything behind... do you have any unfinished business, any scores to settle, anything like that?"_

"Hmmm... nothing important. Nothing that will make me lose sleep. Me and the Bogards are done, I don't really care about my rivals anymore. Big will probably celebrate that he doesn't have to bump me off anymore for him to climb the ladder. Krauser might be a little butthurt that we can't have a rematch. I dunno why he cares more about that than I do."

 _"So, you're totally content?"_

"Yeah... I'm content. I've done a lot in this world. A LOT. It's time to rest."

 _"Last question... what is your proudest accomplishment in life?"_

"A little lady called King of Fighters."

 **FINAL INTERVIEW: CHIZURU KAGURA**

 _"Is this your third time hosting King of Fighters?"_

"Yes."

 _"How was this one compared to the previous ones?"_

"Oh god... this one nearly killed me."

 _"Stressful?"_

"I think I may have some wrinkles now. Maybe a few gray hairs."

 _"At least you had Geese Howard helping you. Give me your thoughts on Geese, and hosting with him."_

"That guy is a damned lunatic. I could barely keep him in line all week! At times, I was seriously afraid he was going to get people killed with his decisions and recklessness."

 _"Sources say you reached out to Rose Bernstein before this week and asked her to co-host, but she declined. Would you rather have had her, or Geese?"_

"Ehhhh... I'd rather not look in hindsight. At least me and Geese made it through."

 _"Describe some of the hardships you endured this week."_

"Oh god, where to begin. Okay, so Geese was constantly trying to ignore the rules. He wanted to pick his own opponents, fight when he wasn't scheduled to, and then there was that whole fiasco with the Rugal clone. It's a miracle we made it through that with our heads intact. On top of that, a few of the contestants tried to steal the prize money. And then of course, that crazed alien guy DESTROYED THE COLISEUM! Hoo boy... I need a stiff one..."

 _"Do you regret not getting to compete?"_

"I SO wish I was on the other side of things. Being a host is so stressful. I don't care for the prize money, but it would have been nice to try and win King of Fighters gold. Plus, I do love competing in martial arts."

 _"After this tournament, do you think you'll ever host again?"_

"I'm going to need a long, LONG break before I ever CONSIDER hosting again. I don't know who will step up and take the reigns, but there has to be somebody besides me, Geese, or Bernstein."

 _"Did anything else weird happen to you this week, involving clones?"_

"Nothing I'm at liberty to talk about."

 _"Give me your thoughts on the final outcome."_

"W-well... as much as I don't trust that Ash kid, he DID technically save our bacon. Dio was the bigger threat for sure, sooo... I'm not happy Ash won, I'm just happy Dio lost."

 _"Who would you have liked to see win in the end?"_

"Kyo, I guess."

 _"Iori bears a murderous grudge against Ash for stealing the Yasakani Jewel. Do you seek revenge for when he ambushed you and stole the Yata Mirror?"_

"Sigh... I just don't care anymore. I've got bigger fish to fry."

 _"So what's next for you?"_

"I would love to just get back to my normal life, normal job, and don't even think about martial arts competition for a good long while."

 _"How about the next King of Fighters?"_

"I'm not hosting, I'm competing. No questions asked."

 _"Where do you think King of Fighters goes from here?"_

"I have no idea... but that's the thrill of it. Nobody knows what will come next, what format, what hosts or sponsors, what people. That's what makes King of Fighters so amazing. Throughout history, the tournament has always kept people on the edge of their seats with new teams, new plots, new crazy outcomes. That's never going to change. King of Fighters truly is immortal, as Geese said. It's withstood the test of time, and it hasn't slowed down even a little. I mean, just look at THIS one. It was the biggest one yet! There's not a CLUE of where King of Fighters could be going next... and that's why it's always going to be the most spectacular spectacle of martial arts exhibition the world will ever know. I'm honored to have done my part in its flourish."

 _"Do you have any closing statements?"_

"Yes I do. To all of you who were a part of this amazing week in Milan, Italy, to all of you who made this possible... thank you. You are the precious blood that gives King of Fighters life. I hope to see you again for the next one. So until that time, this is Chizuru Kagura, saying thank you... and sayonara."

* * *

Alright, this is great! I think I got em' all. Well... the ones who matter, anyway. Now I just gotta take these to Antonov, and he'll be sure to recommend me for the job! YES! I'm so stoked! Take heed, my friends. This is the spark that will ignite the fire of the NEXT King of Fighters. Make sure you pay attention and keep an eye out for me, cause I'll be there! I swear it!

Welp, that's all the time we have now. This is Clerence Bellamy, signing off.

 **THE END**


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